Bus Stop Competition

Project Description

The project is conceived starting from the main assumption that the context of the new Bus Stop is at a regional scale, and that the same is part of a transport network that connects the different parts of the Sardinian Island, its cities and its people.
Sardinia itself is conceived as a continuous urban area with a spread and continuative public transport system. The bus shelter is the key node of that system, a connection point that promotes public mobility and improves the knowledge of the territory. It is a place of communication and interaction.

The underlying strategy is that the bus shelter works as a flexible system made of three main parts that can be combined in multiple ways, thus creating different scenarios according to the specific program requests and the surrounding context of each stop: Bench, Shelters, Totem.

The Bench is a modular element; it can be used by itself or in combination with the Shelters, changing its function. The modules are made up by two parts:
-Fixed part: a concrete base, which also works as plinth.
-Variable part: a seat, which can be made of different materials according to the context.

 

 

 

The two Shelters, the vertical and the horizontal one, define the main space. They are conceived as two separated “glass planes” with the same dimensions and framing. The Shelters work in the same way in both directions and the main structure, a cross shaped section, is the element they are plugged into.
The whole system is made of few parts that are easy to assemble. It’s based on the flexibility and the potential of the cross shaped structure, which works in the four directions. The cross is the fixed element around which anything can change.

The Totem is the most representative element of the public transport system. It contains all the informative-communicative-interactive functions. It’s an independent element that guarantees multiple services to the travellers. A photovoltaic glass panel can be plugged on its top, making it completely self-sufficient as well as an example of sustainability.

We have chosen to concentrate all the communicative and technological functions in the Totem while giving to the bench-shelters system the role of  an open space – similar to any urban public place – for people who are just passing by or want to stop there.

Project Details:

Client: Regione Autonoma della Sardegna
Status: Competition, March 2011, 2nd Prize
Location: Sardegna, Italy
Program: Bus Shelter + Totem, Identity and Signage

Architect: MAR office
Team: Renato Juarez Corso, Paola Mongiu

Structure and Costs: Archigia srl
Visualizations: Cristian Chierici, Antonio Delle Foglie