node: bus|shelter final design

For one of our few individual studio assignments so far, in a week we were to design and construct a model of our own bus|shelter for the Weatherspoon Art Museum location. We were also to write a concept statement, do a material analysis, and draw a detail of our design.
Here are some pictures of my final model.









Detail drawing & material analysis:



My concept statement:

We experience shifts so often in our lives that it is hard to distinguish one from the next. But when we do notice it, it has a powerful impact. Shift is about changing, being kinetic, and constantly altering our perception. Without shifting, our lives would remain static and empty. Shifts make our lives more interesting, and why not bring these shifts to life in ways that we can physically and personally interact and experience them? It starts with something as seemingly simple as a bus shelter.
I chose to conceptualize my bus shelter design around the idea of shifting, as it can be applied to many different aspects of my design process, our studio as a whole, and my final product. Beginning with the beginning, I studied the location. What would be the best design for this location? The bus shelter/stop is a shift in one’s path. People are constantly shifting and circulating in and out, on and off the buses and bus shelters. The art museum is a place to shift your thoughts, learn and gain a different perspective, and also an outlet for artists to send their ideas outward. This idea of constant change, exchange, motion was something that really impacted my ideation.
The concept of shift is also applied to Community by Design. Some of our studio’s beliefs and values include connectivity, creating healthier spaces, innovation, thoughtful actions, and “design that can change the world.” All relate to change, motion, and forward thinking.
‘Node’ was also something that I felt was extremely important. “[Nodes] may be primarily junctions, places of a break in transportation, a crossing or convergance of paths, moments of shift from one structure to another.” As Kevin Lynch describes in The Image of the City, it is in the moments of shift that nodes are created. We experience this so many times daily it’s impossibly to count. Nodes, choices, and shifts are what start to form our future and move us forward. In my final bus shelter design, I created a space that captured that moment of shift, and would allow people to experience it firsthand and from a much larger scale, so it would surely leave an impact.

Process:



I began the process by rolling out a long piece of trash paper (about three different times) and sketching and writing anything I could think of (illustrated by picture 1). I knew what I wanted to include in the structure, and I think that was my first real step. After that came figuring out my concept, which I formulated from examining the shapes I was taking from the surrounding buildings at my site. Concept generating is a very strange process, and it's still a little confusing. I'm pretty happy with my end product though. Picture 2 are some of my more thoughtful sketches, which eventually led to my final design. This last photo is of the actual site where the bus shelter will be built.