For The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO)

Modular Transit Stations

2024 The Architect’s Newspaper Best of Design Awards Recipient

Honorable Mention for Emerging Architects Project Award 

Editor’s Pick Award for Unbuilt—Urban Design & Master Plan

UltraBarrio is developing urban, active, and architectural opportunities for four stops on the METRO Rapid Inner Katy BRT.

Houston's urge for public transit has historically been outpaced by suburban sprawl leaving ambiguous blocks to be recalibrated with new roles for transit sites. In the context of Houston, what if transit stops were less points in a fabric, but evoked new threads modulating scale, culture, and context? The planned 4.5 mile elevated rapid transit corridor connects the 1500 acre park thicket to the 17 block theater district initiating a collection of enhanced ground planes. The geographically distinct ribbons of trails, waterways, and neighborhoods are demonstrated throughout the transit’s guideway line. The project extends connectivity beyond the station platforms to the local ecologies and built character of the station sites. The ‘chassis’ - a nimble structure for each station transforms space into place and establishes development that is compatible with the character, demands, and scale of the city’s context, from vehicular flows to natural systems.