PROJECT DETAILS

Harry Weese: Washington Metro (Waffle Slab Vault Stations), 1968D–1991

  • Washington DC, USA, Show on map
  • #PUB #North America
  • Serving around 700,000 people daily, the Washington D.C Metro is one of the most frequented Brutalist architectural structures. From the stations’ initial designs, Weese intended for them to act as monumental public spaces. Consistent designs of concrete structures, bronze and granite fixtures, inset lighting, and signage aesthetically unify these stations. The most iconic examples are the Metro’s 32 underground coffered tunnel stations, built using cast-in-place concrete. Weese also designed the “Gull-wing” curved concrete vaulting for above ground stops, which cohesively reference below-ground stations. (Written by Stacey Leonard)

  • In 2017 Union Station was painted white, while several other stations got power washed with the original exposed concrete intact.