photos directly above and below: Robin Hill for Arquitectonica
TUNNEL INTERIOR
photo: Robin Hill for Arquitectonica
Enameled steel panels mark each cross passage connecting east and west tubes of tunnel. Darkest colors represent deepest point below sea level.
client: FDOT/Miami Access Tunnel/Bouygues scope: Architectural design for flood gates, operations facilities, landscape architecture and tunnel interior. Design-build with Bouygues Civil Works role: Lead Designer, Project Architect for ArquitectonicaGEO. team: Jovany Chediak, Sandro Rastelli, Manny Timana, Christine Zavesky
overview
The PortMiami Tunnel links Miami’s commercial port to Interstate 95. Parallel bores run from the MacArthur Causway to Miami Beach under Biscayne Bay to the Port on Dodge Island. Overhead flood gates are mounted at either end of the mile-long tunnel, necessitating the large flat enclosures which mark the ends of the tunnel. A complex of operations buildings is located above each entrance.
Despite a difficult political climate surrounding the project, the concept was unanimously approved by the Port and regulating bodies. Intensive involvement in the detailing and mock-up process ensured that the design was executed as originally indended. The team collaborated closely with a wide range of specialized trades to bring aesthetic integrity to an often ignored project type.
The PortMiami Tunnel links Miami’s commercial port to Interstate 95. Parallel bores run from the MacArthur Causway to Miami Beach under Biscayne Bay to the Port on Dodge Island. Overhead flood gates are mounted at either end of the mile-long tunnel, necessitating the large flat enclosures which mark the ends of the tunnel. A complex of operations buildings is located above each entrance.
Despite a difficult political climate surrounding the project, the concept was unanimously approved by the Port and regulating bodies. Intensive involvement in the detailing and mock-up process ensured that the design was executed as originally indended. The team collaborated closely with a wide range of specialized trades to bring aesthetic integrity to an often ignored project type.
design approach
Because users must approach the tunnel in a particular sequence, architects have the opportunity to choreograph the experience. The Flood Gates explore the balance between mass and lightness inherent in the best infrastructure projects. The raw concrete structures are formed by a series of folding plates, separated by a translucent metal mesh, suggesting the crumpling of old roadway as the new tunnel was bored into the existing causeway. "Navigas" the Latin word for navigate is embossed in the concrete, giving texture and lightening the planar concrete surfaces. The free flowing text was inspired by the transient nature of Miami as a Port City. Ships (and people and cultures) come together for a time, relate in a certain way, and then continue moving. The result is a dynamic environment where we are all in a middle zone hovering between local and expatriate.
Because users must approach the tunnel in a particular sequence, architects have the opportunity to choreograph the experience. The Flood Gates explore the balance between mass and lightness inherent in the best infrastructure projects. The raw concrete structures are formed by a series of folding plates, separated by a translucent metal mesh, suggesting the crumpling of old roadway as the new tunnel was bored into the existing causeway. "Navigas" the Latin word for navigate is embossed in the concrete, giving texture and lightening the planar concrete surfaces. The free flowing text was inspired by the transient nature of Miami as a Port City. Ships (and people and cultures) come together for a time, relate in a certain way, and then continue moving. The result is a dynamic environment where we are all in a middle zone hovering between local and expatriate.
Vertical Flood Gates protect tunnel during severe weather events.