Highway cyclaplex : re-appropriating spaces of highway infrastructure for transit

Abstract

A freeway interchange plays a much more significant role in a city than simply permitting the movement of automobiles from one direction to another. As they carve their way through urban centers, interchanges divide communities from one another and create lasting boundaries between neighborhoods. However, in their wake, they create an entirely new set of spaces, nestled in the concrete framework that gives these structures their identity. This thesis re-appropriates these spaces, and posits their role in urban mending. The configuration of interchanges creates extraordinary moments of volumetric opportunity. The spaces are serendipitous byproducts caught in between the composition of ramps, overpasses, and underpasses; designed not for human occupation, but rather for vehicular expediency. The radius and the tilt of the turning road, the slope of ramps, and the height at which the overpasses take are all pre-prescribed to mediate traffic. The abundance of existing structure and available space makes interchanges a prime candidate for architectural intervention. Their soaring heights create the framework for an entirely new type of occupation; connecting the ground plane and pulling it up into the air. These previously unreachable places form a new understanding of movement, speed, and perception. The thesis is situated at the Interstate 93-US Route 1 interchange immediately northwest of the Leonard P. Zakim bridge in Boston, MA. It seeks to function as a research prototype for infrastructural adaptation around the world.