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By Barbara Knecht

The route between Pudong Airport and Shanghai opened for commercial service in December 2003 and is the fastest railway system in commercial operation in the world. Designed by Berlin-based Transrapid International (www.transrapid.de), the train levitates 1¼2 inch above its guideway, and at speeds typically reaching 267 mph, it makes the 19-mile trip in 8 minutes. Unlike a conventional steel-wheeled train, a Maglev train doesn’t use fossil fuels. A Japanese system in development is designed to use super-cooled, super-conducting electromagnets, which will save more energy than even the German system.

New and expanding rail systems are offering architects an opportunity to experiment with new materials in the design of stations and shelters. In Calgary, Canada, CPV Group architects designed a station with thin-shell concrete canopies. Enzo Vicenzino, CPV principal, notes, “The community wanted a design that would announce the entrance to its neighborhood and be distinguishable from the more traditional LRT stations. I was certain that the canopies needed to be a thin-shell concrete, and the local supplier recommended a newly developed abrasion-resistant, high-performance concrete material called Ductal (www.ductal.com), which has tensile as well as compressive strength.”

The CPV Group chose a palette of highly durable and maintenance-free materials, including stainless and galvanized metals.

In Brussels, Samyn and Partners used a combination of fiberglass and steel fabrics for the equally dramatic elevated Erasme Metro station that opened in September 2003. “This is the new terminus station of a major light-rail system,” explained design partner Philippe Samyn. “The client was eager to see this station serve as a city gate as well as linking a major hospital to the city center. It also says, ‘Look at us! Use public transport!’ ”

The pedestrian approach, entrance hall, and the central platform are covered by a series of posttensioned fabric “saddles” attached to arched steel frames. The fabric was required to resist wind loads and shield passengers from the rain. The fiberglass fabric, with a life expectancy of 30 to 40 years, provides a temperate light during the day and glows at night. The stainless-steel mesh of the side walls is a product employed for sand separation in quarries. Used for the first time in an architectural application, it is extremely durable, breaks the wind, sheds rain, and provides natural ventilation. According to Samyn, the Ministry of the Brussels Capital Region, Administration of Equipment and Transport, while understandably conservative, was very supportive of the use of fabric.

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