This summer architects, artists, designers, students, and community members participated in the Sioux Falls Design Center’s GO DESIGN bus stop and shelter design competition. The competition encouraged visions of what sustainable, functional, and creative bus shelters and stops could look like for the Sioux Falls community. As part of the larger GOING METRO project, it served as phase 3 in a series of events hoping to facilitate creative conversations about transportation as the City of Sioux Falls seeks to innovate its transit system.
This post is the sixth in a series, featuring the submissions to the GO METRO competition.
Team Name: Team Besties
Team Members: Charlie Treloar, Cierra Treloar, Mo Bensasi, Kyle Treloar
Team Besties consists of two siblings, a spouse, and a nephew; we are besties and we designed this Bus Shelter to be a bestie to those who use it. It is a friend that encourages their body, and subsequently their emotions, to move; a friend that will power their bestie-their phone, and; a friend that will hug them in wild weather.
The majority of our team grew up in Sioux Falls watching farmland evolve into the city. The windmill and silo on this bus Shelter are nods to the farms that used to be here. Having an anchor in history helps stabilize and then catapult visitors into a new experience. This shelter greets visitors with innovations like a second story, a playground for both kids and adults, and wind-power available to everyone.
Cor-Ten steel gives it a solid, durable look which fits in well with the attitude of the architecture in Sioux Falls. Meanwhile, the recycled rubber floors, colorful windows and slide beg the visitor to play. These strong and soft attributes show the visitor that they are in a safe place.
While this Bus Shelter honors Sioux Falls’ past, it simultaneously exposes the public to an evolved idea of a Bus Shelter. It is a space that is nurturing and enlightening. This is an opportunity for Sioux Falls and SAM to send a message about what we value.
Charlie said in our first meeting let’s make it “so good you don’t want to leave” and people will want to “stop there just to play.” He also said that with a 4 story slide, a ball pit, and exercise equipment that charges our electronic devices, wi-fi, rock wall… we’ll get there.
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