That's not as bad as I thought it would look. A bit more color variation and some glossiness would make them totally acceptable.

by цarьchitect on Jun 2, 2009 10:41 am • link • report

I welcome this change. Regardless of the look of the original hexagon tiles I found them a very poor choice of material because they are so damn slippery when wet. I hate them. A few years ago i had to get around on crutches and those damnable slick hexagons were a considerable hazard - more then once the crutch slide out from under me on those damn things when they were wet. Good Riddance. Aren't architechts supposed to consider degree of friction both dry and wet when planning walking sufaces?

by Bianchi on Jun 2, 2009 10:52 am • link • report

Matt,

The tiles are not "terra cotta-colored" Terra cotta is one of the many different types of ceramic products. The tile that WMATA has been using in their stations sense the first tile was set in back 1974 is quarry tile. Terra cotta is not as durable as quarry tile. Terra cotta is generally used for ornamentation not on floors.

by Sand Box John on Jun 2, 2009 10:58 am • link • report

These have a nice look... and if they're less slippery when wet, awesome.

by RichardatCourthouse on Jun 2, 2009 11:22 am • link • report

I agree with the öarüchitect that this is better than I thought it would look, and that a little more color variation would be nice. If it's less slippery and less prone to damage, then I'd say it's worth the change.

by tom veil on Jun 2, 2009 11:25 am • link • report

Those rumble strips they installed at the edge of the platforms (pictured above) some years back may be helpful to the sight-impaired but are a real tripping danger to most people. It'd be nice if they could come up with a solution that accomodated the sight-impared without endangering everyone else. There must be another solution out there ...

by Lance on Jun 2, 2009 11:35 am • link • report

Ah, I was wondering why they seemed to install new tiles and then stop. Makes sense. I am glad they're working with these - I've walked on them, although not in the rain, but I imagine they're much less slippery in the wet.

by Ed on Jun 2, 2009 11:36 am • link • report

Why not just extend the canopy that is over the platform to include the whole platform; I think that is one reason why people don't spread out on the platforms because of the elements if your under the canopies your not exposed to rain, snow or direct sun light(excluding the stations with glass canopies)

by kk on Jun 2, 2009 11:47 am • link • report

Because extending the canopy would be much more expensive.

by BeyondDC on Jun 2, 2009 11:48 am • link • report

BeyondDC,

You're right, of course, although I have to throw my lot in with kk. I feel that extending the canopy, while more expensive, would do wonders for getting people to space out on the platforms, plus it would have the side effect of looking nice to boot.

by Art on Jun 2, 2009 12:36 pm • link • report

I'm inclined to agree that I don't like the terra cotta tiles when wet. It would have been nicer if they could have made the concrete ones look more natural by not having them in giant squares, but I'm glad that they found a way to preserve Metro's image and reduce the degradation of the outside platforms. Of course, having awnings over all outside platforms would be ideal as well - but I imagine it can get quite expensive.

by Matt Glazewski on Jun 2, 2009 1:40 pm • link • report

I Wonder if they can match the original tile color more closely. The new concrete tiles are pinker, grayer, and less saturated.

by Laurence Aurbach on Jun 2, 2009 1:46 pm • link • report

It'll be great if these are less slippery. The old ones were an unpleasant part of using an outdoor station when it's wet outside.

It'd be great to increase the amenities of outdoor stations overall. The idea behind above-ground tracks and stations, I'm sure, is to save money from tunneling. Can we put some of those savings into making the outdoor stations less nasty when it's cold, rainy, etc.?

Some ideas:

Extending the canopy

Building more shelters

More frequent custodial work when it's wet (usually there'll be a "wet floor" sign out; when it's really wet, could someone come mop it up?)

Deploy outdoor space heaters when it's very cold (say, 35F or less) -- the way that restaurants do for their outdoor seating or smoking areas

by Gavin Baker on Jun 2, 2009 1:47 pm • link • report

Gavin,

Interesting ideas indeed, I wonder what effect those would have on ridership at the stations? Anyone have any guesses how extending the canopy to cover the entire station platform would affect things?

by Art on Jun 2, 2009 3:24 pm • link • report

They don't look as good, but they'll be less slippery. For the same reason the concrete will be less slippery than the tile (rough surface instead of smooth) the concrete will be harder to clean than the tile. The joints will leak just like the original, so that problem isn't entirely solved.

by crin on Jun 2, 2009 3:35 pm • link • report

Art,

How about we just start letting people move between railcars? Totally free.

by BeyondDC on Jun 2, 2009 4:03 pm • link • report

Art, my guess is that it would take resources from other more needed areas of Metro. Keep in mind that platform crowding is an issue maybe for 2-3 hours/day (morning rush, when people are waiting to head in) at most stations. And on how many of those days is it a problem to stand outside instead of under a canopy? 50% maybe, when it's either raining or blistering mid-summer sun?

If Metro had all the money in the world, perhaps it would be a good expenditure. But I'd rather they used that money to fix escalators or buy more rail cars so people don't have to wait so long in the rain in the first place.

by ah on Jun 2, 2009 4:19 pm • link • report

Why did they have to try and "match" the previous look? Yes its distinctive but the floors are nothing to write home about. And I can only imagine the "hexagonal-tiling-effect" of the new tiles will be just as difficult to clean. If you had a flat floor it would be easier to mop without all of the various sizes. So is there any other reason than tradition and distinctiveness for the hexagonal tiling?

by Tim Fry on Jun 2, 2009 4:37 pm • link • report