Bus Shelter

It all started out for me with a simple site analysis. At first i wished I had the location on UNCG campus rather than the A&T location. However, after going there and seeing the campus and all the things they had going on, I was very happy to get the site I did. A&T has a great campus with so much to pull from when designing such an installation. A big lesson I learned with this project is to make sure you go way beyond anything you will possibly need with the site analysis. I had to go back a couple of times to get more information and it was a pain. Make a GOOD site analysis! Also double check that the information you gather is accurate, I found out midway through the project that my sun exposure diagram wasn't correct and it pretty much turned my project on it's head... not cool. So get lots of accurate data from the getgo and things go much smoother later on.

I began with my new favorite technique of using a very very large piece of paper and listing aspects and qualities of the design problem, things that needed to be addressed, bubble diagrams for adjacency and the like. This also is when I started working on the concept which became a little process of it's own. One of the fifth years was helping me with the concept and pretty much gave me an idea that fit so well I had no choice but to run with it. Though for integrity sake I couldn't use it directly; thus began the development of my concept alongside the bus shelter design itself. It started as a rainforest: the closer you are to the ground, the less sunlight permeates through the canopy. As you progress through vertical strata of protection, you get more and more exposure. Gradient of protection was a prominent idea in my design so this was highly appealing. Also the natural references fit well with the university's agricultural background. This concept morphed into a simple tree analogy; the closer to the trunk, the more shelter, moving the dynamic horizontal rather than vertical. After abstracting these basic ideas, as well as using input taken from personal interviews with A&T students I arrived at something I hadn't expected in the beginning but that I felt was highly appropriate for the location and project. My concept is to create an architecturally abstracted, man made tree limb incorporating the ideas of gradient and progression into the future. Below is my response to this concept.

Sketchbook Assignments

Shelter Bus Charette

When I was in lifeguard training, we were always told that our number one priority when entering the water to make a rescue, was our own personal safety; putting one more person in a desperate situation doesn't help anyone. This is the approach I used with this design. In order to be of the most help to disaster victims. My clients, four construction workers, should place their own welfare as top priority. If they ensure that they get adequate rest, hygiene, and mental rejuvenation, they will in turn be of greater help to the people they are supporting. My design allows for these necessities by making use of specific zones, complete separation of work and relaxation areas, as well as soft and neutral blue and grey tones, to help my clients feel at ease and peaceful while inside this bus. This quality and approach allows the clients to be higher impact factors on the community they are aiding, and thus increasing the function of the shelter bus design.

As a precedent I used the Exaltis Tower in Paris France, designed by Arquitectonica Interiors. The curvy shapes and lines really pull you into the space and lead you from one zone to the next. This is a quality I incorporated in my design. The entrance way has flooring of heavy duty tile to serve as a "mud room" of sorts. The curved lines sprout from the seams in the tile work, unifying the space and leading occupants to the far end of the bus, and through the steps of rejuvenation; Cleansing, Relaxation, Eating, and Sleeping.

This is my bubble adjacency diagram for the main zones associated with the bus, following the important tasks of daily activity.


Scheme diagram showing volume of traffic in specific areas, as well as use of these areas whether public or private.
The bathroom wall is curved allowing it to follow the curvilinear lines of the walls and floor. This marries form with color scheme. It also allows for the sliding door pictured here.
Cross sections showing layout of various views of the interior.

Sections of each side of the bus. The curvilinear patter on the walls is notable from these images.


The finished project board.