WIP - Bus Shelter Prototype

[Jorbu]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm currently working on designing a new bus shelter to be used in the city I live in. I'm trying to get a few good images together that will help best convey our design. Please feel free to comment on the design as well as the renderings. Are the materials convincing? What about the camera angle?

 

(It's hard to visualize the shelter on the street, but we don't have a specific site for it yet. As soon as we pick a location to build the first prototype I'll do a photomontage.)

 

This was modeled in ACAD and rendered in LS.

 

Thanks,

Jorge

 

http://www.cgarchitect.com/forum/filepush.asp?file=bus-shelter.jpg

 

http://www.cgarchitect.com/forum/filepush.asp?file=bus-shelter2.jpg

[nichchris]

Hi jorbu,

 

Having a look here at your stuff, personally I like it ( the design) but not as a shelter because alas we live in a dirty --- dirty world!

 

 

1- What are the solar panels for?... don't tell me, let me guess, lights at night right? haha just kidding, no advertising maybe? but I don't see any of it on the bus shelter, which will cover up most of that glass anyway.

 

2- This will be a very expensive bus shelter, you glass walls are so heavily broken up

It will cost them plenty!, granted you could argue the vandalisme argument of replacing broken glass panes but : What if they break them all or paint on them?

 

3- Your glass canopy, we have some glass covered bus shelters where I live.. let me tell you a few things about these glass canopies, they never get cleaned, only when it rains, or a really

big wind comes around once in a while. Otherwise you need to look at the build-up of bird turds, coke cans, dust by the bushels, misc stuff "I don't what that is", Spit (lots of it)

and the odd dirty condom once in a while!

 

4- On a rainy day. I hope those shelters face away from the road.. otherwise It becomes like a trap for the bus riders, they see the bus coming (it's not one that is going to stop at their stop but the next) They see the huge puddle of water in front of them, they try frantically to run away but can't, because they are all squished together trying to all fit in the wee shelter, and by the time you say 'SHIT I'M IT' its already too late!

 

5- Personally I don't understand the whole bus shelter thing I really don't, most of the time

the number of people totally out size the available space of the shelter. Why do they call it a shelter? In the cold they are not heated, In the heat they are not air conditioned, in the rain

they don't work, you still get wet, and most of the women are outside the 'shelter' holding umbrellas , In the wind you still get sand blown in your face, I think they should call it

a 'bus hangar' , where you 'hang' to get the bus!

 

Sorry I had to do that, Its not personal, I hate city planners and city burocrats and their dumb ass ideas! when these two get together its nothing but total dumbness and more dumbness!

 

Like I said personally I like it ( the design) but not as a 'shelter', but if you called it a bus hangar.. I would say totally cool man

 

nichchris

[Allen Bussell]

Very nice model!

As one who lived in Seattle area for quite a while - when the sun shows - I want it shining on me So the glass design is nice in that respect.

 

Some good points about maintenance that cities predominately do not provide, and placement of the shelter to the street.

[Richard McCarthy]

This design have actually been "realised" over here in Brisbane. The "glass canopy bus shelter" we "used to" have is surprisingly similar to your design. The problem with it, is that now it's totally torn down, and replace with a timber framed "traditional" looking eye-sore. I am not sure why the reason, but I am guessing of the safty reason. One of those glass breaks for whatever the reason, somebody could be hurt.

 

http://www.cgarchitect.com/forum/filepush.asp?file=GlassCanopy.jpg

 

-RM

 

[ July 09, 2003, 09:15 PM: Message edited by: Richard McCarthy ]

[Ernest Burden III]

Dang, an opinions sixpack. I actually cannot disagree with most of the points. However, if the city asks for bus shelter designs and you think such structures are stupid--don't design one. But if you set out to accept the job of the design, you put asside the thematic issues and design a bus shelter. Understanding why existing examples are largely jokes should help, though.

 

because alas we live in a dirty --- dirty world!

I take it you've never been to Seattle, then? Seattle is a remarkably clean city--by which I don't just mean the gutters but the surfaces of buildings, windows, the air.

 

Seattle also has about every means of public conveyance you can think of, except dogsled. So why suddenly ask for a BUS shelter? And once you get out of downtown the place quickly looks suburban, making a steel and glass design less appropriate.

 

The design IS too small. Similar NYC shelters are twice as deep. It only rains vertically in the NorthWest? And where's the coffee dispenser? Unfortunately, I would have to agree that the real purpose of bus shelters is a place for city-enriching adcard space. And a map. Seattle bus routes are not works of simplicity. The info display unit would need to be encased in the structure--otherwise they will end up all over town reading 'eat at Al's' or whatever some techy wants to shout out.

 

From a purely asthetic point of view, I am bothered by the bare ends of the beams--it looks a bit menacing, but capping them would spoil the fun. And how about some color? I can see this thing in rich, saturated colors. And show it on a street, even just dummy up a section of curb with some detail and sidewalk joints--that will greatly help the imaging.

[Jorbu]

Thanks to everyone for commenting on the bus shelter. It has been an interesting and fun project to work on. I’m glad to see the project and design has sparked a variety of comments.

 

Nichchris,

 

I’m glad you like the design. A lot of time and thought have gone into it.

1. You’re right, the solar panels are to power a light at night. Some of the locations where the shelters might go do not have any existing power as they are rural areas and it would be very expensive to run a power line to them, so this seemed like a good alternative. I purposely didn’t put any advertising on the shelter as Seattle does not allow to have any advertising on shelters. It’s actually quite nice not to be visually bombarded with product advertising every time you walk outside.

2. We realize it’ll be somewhat expensive at first to build it, but hopefully when we build 200 or more, the price will drop. The glass panels is an ongoing issue…

3. We’re planning on using a ‘frosted’ or sandblasted glass for the roof canopy and hopefully it’ll help hide some of those unsightly blemishes you mentioned…which by the way, sound really gross.

4. “On a rainy day”….you mean everyday here in Seattle right?! Hopefully the shelters will be placed far enough away from the curb so they don’t get splashed by oncoming traffic. If they do…oh well, they should learn to stand on the other side of the shelter.

5. I think the bus shelter is not just a place where you can ‘try’ to protect yourself from the elements, but is a structure that lets the public know that it is a place where the bus stops. It also helps identify that particular bus line. Like Ernest mentioned below, here in Seattle we have a lot of different transportation mediums. Buses (two different agencies), trains, ferries (to cross the bay), monorail, trolleys, and soon light rail!

 

I didn’t take any of your comments personal, I myself have asked all this questions many times. Hopefully you didn’t take any of my responses personal either.

 

Allen, I’m glad you liked the model. Regarding maintenance, it is an ongoing issue for us. As designers we would like to have input from who will be doing the maintenance on the shelters to create a better design, unfortunately, the city doesn’t have a maintenance agency assigned to it yet. It’s difficult to design anything if you don’t know how it will be maintained…

 

Richard, that’s too bad that they replaced ‘the glass canopy bus shelter’ you showed…what a shame, it was really nice. Hopefully that won’t happen to us. I did notice that the design you showed has all the glass edges exposed, we on the other hand have the glass ‘framed’ by the structural elements around it. Hopefully this will help minimize the safety risk factor….we’ll see. I do have to say, if people are dumb enough to climb on top of a glass canopy and walk on glass…well, maybe they just might get what they deserve.

 

Ernest, this particular shelter is somewhat small. Unfortunately, we didn’t determine the size of it. We were told this will replace existing shelters in the city and has to fit on existing footings. So as you can tell, we have small bus shelters here in Seattle. I do wish they were deeper, but I highly doubt the city will pay to redo all the footings.

We are working on the coffee dispenser….although we all have it flowing in our veins already…..but hey…what’s a few more gallons of the stuff in there, right?!

“Menacing:…that’s a great description…hopefully it’ll discourage people from climbing on top. I’m thinking maybe I can ‘refine’ the ends, maybe thin them out a bit while still keep the ends open.

I’d love to have color on these, but the client wants them all grey….in this overcast weather…….don’t ask why?! We’re hoping to have the different pieces of glass be different colors.

Good suggestion about adding a section of curb, I think it’ll help to ground the shelter a bit.

 

Not that I’ve written a novel on this, I guess it’s time for me to shut up!

 

Here is an earlier image I did of a potential site for the shelters. Looks like we are going to build a prototye for testing and installing at that location. I need to update the image. Any comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

Jorbu

 

http://www.cgarchitect.com/forum/filepush.asp?file=bus-site.jpg

[nichchris]

Hi jorbu,

 

You're not a relative of JubJub right?

 

Anyway...

 

Checked out your composited pic, its very good , I think if you just added a slight blur, and I mean ever soooow slight, your image would blend into the photo much better as it is slightly out of focus or it was taken without a tripod. This is really noticable at the base of the bus

hangar where it meets the brick, the brick is very much out of focus.

 

I enjoyed reading your replies very well done!

 

 

The other thing looking at the design on you second pic.. someone may use the solar

panels as 'monkey bars'.. I hope you know what that is.

 

nichchris

[Dynedain]

amazing how much it reminds me of a bus shelter i designed in school....i'll have to find an image of the rendering and post it.

[Jorbu]

Hi nichchris,

 

Relative of JubJub?...no, I don’t think I am….is that good or bad?

‘Monkey bars’…yes, lots of fun when I was a younger…I’m not sure that I can do much to change the design, except make sure the metal edges are not ‘comfortable’ for people to grab and hang on to.

 

Thanks for your input on the image, I’ll adjust the blur and post an update soon. Thanks

 

Dynedain, I’d like to see your design if you can find the rendering.