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Bus Shelter

By iggy1717 | M Design a Bus Shelter

Wondering about this bus shelter design problem? >>

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A shelter is a structure that we may take for granted, but bus shelters also have the potential to make our daily lives easier while also significantly impacting the way our streets look. This design challenge is all about taking something we use regularly and redesign it to improve it. What is missing from the current design of your city's bus shelters? What is it that you intend to change about their design?

A bus shelter usually consists of glass that can usually shatter, a roof, and wooden bench that can normally sit three people. They do not contain any lights and are quit small. Most bus shelters do not have bus trackers. Another problem with bus shelter's are that they all have openings. These are problems with bus shelter that need to be fixed. Many people have to take the bus to work early in the morning and back home late at night. Same for students with school and most students have after school activities and do not leave school after dark. Lights would be an essential thing for people at the shelters. Most bus shelters do not have bus trackers. Bus trackers would be very helpful to people who may have to be somewhere at a certain time and have to take the bus. Bus shelters are very small and can only sit three people. I feel as if bus shelters should be larger then what they are now and they should be able to sit a little more then three people. Bus shelters have many openings and in my design i want to make a bus shelter a bullet proof glass, heating, air conditiong, and enclosed space with a sliding door to let people out from the shelter.

Curious about the Collect Info step of this bus shelter design problem? >>

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In this step of the design process, you’ll want to gather as much information as possible about different types of bus shelters. How do people use them? You’ll also want to look at bus stations that have been designed in other countries. Interview bus riders about how they use the current type of bus shelter and what is missing in their design.

Think About

  • What are the basic functions and design elements of any bus shelter?
  • What materials are these shelters made from?
  • What are some things that you really like or hate about Chicago’s current bus shelters?
  • How long will passengers need to typically wait at the bus stop? 

 Try This

  • Make a list of all the different features on an existing Chicago bus shelter. Explain what you’ve learned and post information the information in this step.
  • Use Flickr and Google Images to search "bus shelter." Research different types of bus stops and shelters in different cities around the world. How are these different than Chicago bus shelters?
  • Use Google Maps to view and print out an aerial photograph of your intersection. How far away is the stop from the street corner? How far away should it be?
  • Interview several of your friends and classmates about what they like or hate about the bus shelters you typically use. 
  • Check out this Chicago Tribune article from architecture critic Blair Kamin about the 2003 design of Chicago's bus shelters by a French company.
  • This blog about bus shelter designs have some very interesting ideas from all over the world.

iggy1717's work for the Collect Information step:

Summary
these pictures are what bus shelters look like now and there are also pictures of what gave me ideas of what i want a bus shelter to look like.
this picture shows what a cta bus shelter looks like. it has many openings and is made of glass...
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this is a cta bus tracker on a bus shelter. they are not on every cta bus shelter.
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this is a cta bus shelter by curie metro high school. there are many students and this is the size...
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this bus shelter gave me the idea of creating an enclosed bus shelter.
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this was another bus shelter that gave me an idea of having it enclosed.
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this is an idea of what i had except without the openenings.
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Curious about the Brainstorm Ideas step of this bus shelter design project? >>

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In the this step of the design process, you’ll want put some early ideas down on paper that show what you've found in the Collect Info step.  You also might take more photos to show specific new ideas you have. 

Make some early decisions about the location, size, features, and materials for your bus shelter. Draw a hand sketch to help you puzzle through new ideas.

Try This

  • Identify a location for your bus shelter on your site near your intersection. Mark this location on a map and think about its proximity to other bus stops, rail stations, or other points of interest near this intersection.
  • Based on what you learned in the Collect Information, make a list of all the features you'd like to have in your design. Edit this list into ‘necessities’ and ‘nice to have’ categories.
  • Using a tape measure and some masking tape, mark out some different footprint options for the shelter. How many people do you need to accommodate? How much space should each person get? How does this compare with the size of the current bus shelters?  Explain your thinking in the description of your project.
  • Draw several quick sketches to get your early ideas down on paper.  Either take a photo or scan and then upload your sketches to your project account. These don’t need to be your final ideas. 
  • Consider what materials the shelter will be made from: what materials will be durable against the weather and the riders who wait there?

iggy1717's work for the Brainstorm Ideas step:

Summary
This is an idea i had about a bus shelter. I want it t be a small building like structure with an...
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this is the back of the small building i had drawn.
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Curious about the Develop Solutions step of this bus shelter design project? >>

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Now's the time to take what you've learned from the steps above to develop your solution for a bus shelter.

Important! Since DiscoverDesign is about investigating the design process, the other people viewing your project - other students around the country, your teacher, and mentors - want to see how your ideas have changed over time. This means that while you're working on your digital model, you’ll want to be sure to keep re-saving it with a new file name every few days as you work through the steps.

Draw a sketch or use software such as Google SketchUp, AutoCAD, or Revit to illustrate your ideas.  You can upload photos (JPG files) from your SketchUp model, video fly throughs (FLV files) of your SketchUp model, or drawings (DWF files) from AutoCAD.

Try to include

  • One site plan
  • One floor plan
  • At least two elevation or perspective views

Try This

You may use any method you'd like to show your design (pencil, colored pencil, collage, physical models, or digital rendering software).  Here are a few suggestions for drawings and models of your bus shelter:

  • Use cardboard or cardstock to build a rough physical study model or prototype of your shelter. You can't really understand the shape of the shelter until you make a quick study model. Don't worry about making a fancy finished model at this time. Instead, use cardstock, scissors, and tape to quickly create the large 3D form. See how it looks. Break off different sections, add new pieces, and try new ideas. Take photos of your model and upload them to this step.
  • Sketch or use software such as Google SketchUp, AutoCAD, or Revit to get the ideas out of your head to share with others.

iggy1717's work for the Develop Solutions step:

Summary
these pictures of my bus shelter that i created with legos and on the drawing program sketch up.
this is my first days work on making a bus shelter on the program called sketch up.
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this is my second picture of what i want my bus shelter to look like.
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this is my third picture of some stuff i decided to include in the inside of my bus shelter.
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here is my design of a bus shelter made from legos. this is the side view.
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this is the front view of my lego bus shelter.
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this is my lego bus shelter from an angle.
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this is four days of progress on my bus shelter. i added another bench, a mounted hdtv and i...
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Curious about the Final step of this bus shelter design problem? >>

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The final step of the design process is to create more finished drawings that illustrate your ideas to others. Remember, your explanation text and the types of drawings, images, and models you share need to tell the whole story of your project to someone who may or may not have ever visited your site or even your city.

Continue to collect feedback from your peers, teachers and the online community to help you improve on your final design. Be sure to review and add constructive comments on the work of your classmates and other students who are solving the same design problem. If your ideas change, be sure to explain your thinking and let others know about the new work you have posted to your account.

You might want to share floor plans, elevations, renderings of your digital model, photos of a physical model, or a video animation of your model.

  • Review your design and test it against your original sucess statement that you wrote for the Overview. Does it meet this criteria?
  • Does your final design meet the expectations of the student athletes and athletic director that you interviewed?  If not, you may need to go back to the drawing board and revise your design.
  • Make a list of your ideas, sketches, and study models. For your final design you will want to write and post a short but effective paragraph of your process and the unique solutions you found developed. Tell us about your ideas.
  • Your teacher and architectural mentors will be looking for these things:
    1. originality in your design
    2. your ability to creatively solve the design challenge
    3. the quality of images, sketches, drawings, and models you have uploaded in each of the five design process steps (Overview, Collect Info, Brainstorm Ideas, Develop Solutions, and Final Design).
    4. As your ideas change, be sure to explain your thinking and let others know about the new work you have posted to your account. Go back to the virtual drawing board and revise your project based on the feedback of others.
    5. how well you have written about and explained your thinking in each of the design process steps

iggy1717's work for the Final Design step:

Summary
This is my complete design of my bus shelter. My bus shelter has many new feature then what a normal bus shelter. This bus shetler is solar powered. It has heating and it also has air conditioning.
this is the front view of my complete bus shelter.
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this is the back and right view of my bus shelter.
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this is the back and left view of my bus shelter.
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this is the setting of where my bus shelter is located.
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this is the top view of my bus shelter.
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this picture shows that there is a motion sensor to open up the sliding doors to the bus shelter.
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