Metro Westside Extension

The “Subway to the Sea” will provide integrated heavy rail service throughout the western Los Angeles metropolitan region.  The existing Purple Line will be extended westward from mid-Wilshire to Santa Monica, and possibly link to the Red Line in Hollywood.

Torti Gallas led the urban design effort of the subway extension to help determine the best alignment of the rail system and locations of new stations.  The team created a set of Design Guidelines that will apply to the station areas as well as the 1/4 mile transit-oriented-development areas surrounding each of them. To develop the Urban Design Guidelines, a multitude of factors were considered.  The extension will run through 4 cities (Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica). The local character and identity of each of these cities were thoughtfully balanced with the need for unity for rider legibility throughout the system.

Torti Gallas also led a series of Technical Advisory Committee meetings with staff from the four cities, as well as the “visualization” effort with photo-simulations, renderings, diagrammatic sketches, and station area design schemes.A series of Station Typologies were defined to help craft the overall design aesthetic and vision for the new line. Metro will use this design framework as part of its application for state and federal construction funds.