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The BRT project

By Svelazquez | M Design a BRT Shelter for Chicago

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Due to rapid increase in population and shift towards urban migration, a rising trend across the world for mass transit. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a cost-effective and efficient way to move people through their cities. BRT is less permanent and less expensive that rail systems (like the EL), and can move people just as effectively in many cities. Chicago has already brought one route of BRT (the Jeffrey Jump) to the city as an experiment, and is planning two additional routes along the Western and Ashland corridors.

Unlike typical bus stops, BRT stops are meant to be less frequent along routes, making the commute faster and accommodate more people. It is up to you to design how this new type of transit shelter will function and protect passengers from the weather and provide information and other amenities while they are waiting. Other amenities may important to include with the shelter can be a secure bike storage or a ‘Share-a-Bike’ station such as “the Divvy” in Chicago, a place or screen that provides relevant information. A shelter is a structure that we may take for granted, but BRT shelters also have the potential to make our daily lives easier while also significantly impacting the way our streets look.

Define problem

  • Design a BRT intersection (in group): Configure BRT and other vehicular and non-vehicular lanes and sidewalks. Design the intersection to move pedestrians and bikes to the BRT shelter.
  • Design a BRT shelter (individually) to accommodate minimum of 25 people

Take into consideration

For the Intersection:

  • Amount of vehicular traffic,
  • Amount of pedestrian and other non-vehicular traffic
  • Estimated frequency for the BRT
  • Estimated riders at the location
  • Adjacent uses

For the BRT shelter:

  • Ticket or Point of Pay location
  • Ease of loading and unloading
  • Weather protection
  • Safety
  • Place or method for providing information
  • Connectivity to other mode of transport such as bikes, walking etc
  • Energy and roof drainage
  • Other amenities

Provide information about the intersection/stop selected; 63rd and Jeffrey, 35th and Ashland, including drawings..

Supplemental documents can be found here.

In this project I will design a BRT. In this BRT i will make it big enough to fit a crowd of people and make it possible for people to travel easier and faster. Also I will design a single path for the bus and the other traffic making traffic flow faster.

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

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The re-branded CTA BRT route, the Jeffery Jump

In this step of the design process, you’ll want to gather as much information as possible about different types of shelters, from regular bus shelters to train shelters. How are they different? How do people use them? Since BRT is new to Chicago, you’ll also want to look at BRT 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

  • Start off the project by analyzing what you already know about container architecture and container housing with a quick pre-test.
  • What are the basic functions and design elements of any bus shelter?
  • What materials are these shelters made from?
  • How could current bus shelters be scaled up to accommodate more people and longer wait times?
  • What are some things that you really like or hate about Chicago’s current bus shelters?

 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.
  • Learn about the BRT system. How does it work? How are the station locations determined? What makes a BRT system different than a regular bus route?
  • Use Flickr and Google Images to search "BRT shelter." Research different types of bus stops and shelters in different cities around the world. How are these different than regular 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.

Svelazquez's work for the Collect Information step:

Summary
How much space is available for the shelter? There will be two separate lanes one for buses and the other for cars and other traffic.
In this picture I like how the streets are organized and it separates the lanes between the traffic...
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I really like this sample it looks like a very cool and easy way to get to the brt. Also because of...
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This is another example of the brt having 2 lanes one for traffic and the other for the buses.
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This is a good design for the brt but it only seems to be going only one way.
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The design of the entrance looks fancy and modern it looks very inspirational.
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The design of the shelter looks very round and modern and by the looks of it it seems to have more...
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In this picture it looks like this brt is very crowded. The brt should be big enough to support a...
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Curious about the Brainstorm Ideas step of this bus shelter design project? >>

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A TransMilenio Station in Bogotá, Colombia

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 BRT shelter. Draw a hand sketch to help you puzzle through new ideas.

Try This

  • Identify a location for your BRT 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 a regular bus shelter?  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?

Svelazquez's work for the Brainstorm Ideas step:

Summary
These are my brainstorm ideas for my BRT

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 BRT 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 BRT 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.

Svelazquez's work for the Develop Solutions step:

Summary
This is my developed solutions
This is image of the brt in a simple form with nothing in or out of it. It is made out of mostly...
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This will be like the entrance of the brt. Im trying to make it as modern as possible.
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This is the front of the brt. What i was planning on making is to make like a garden.
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This is the left side of the brt. The brt is symmetrical so both sides are the same. This is the...
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This is the top part of the brt. In this part im planning on putting plants or rocks. Trying to...
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This is the entrance of the brt and also like the waiting area.
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These are the exits of the brt there are two on each side.
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Curious about the Final step of this bus shelter design problem? >>

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A unique station on the world's first BRT system in Curitiba, Brazil.

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?
  • 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

Svelazquez's work for the Final Design step:

Summary
This is my final
This is the site plan of the brt. It is located in the middle of the street were anyone can get to...
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This is the entrance for the brt. It has 2 entrances and a handicapped button for those who are...
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In this part of the brt there are 2 things. 1 being the solar panels, I put these here to make the...
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This is the other end of the brt, this is the area were people can wait for the bus and there is...
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This is an exit and entrance for the people coming out of the brt.
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This is the inside part of the brt
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