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 fourth in a series, featuring the submissions to the GO METRO competition.
Team Name: Team Parti
Team Members: Ivy Oland Dandar, Alaina Hardie, Cody Nesbitt, Joe Schaeffer, Stacy Schultz
Design Concept 1
It has been said that innovation is about transforming the familiar into the extraordinary, which is what our team set out to achieve.
In this design concept, highly recognizable elements of the Downtown Bus Depot were reinterpreted and reimagined, offering SAM riders an experience that is both familiar and novel.
The striking blue roof, gabled tower, and prominent clock are defining design elements that have been carried forward to reinforce branding and recognizability. Redesigned for present day, the gable roof was carried forward in a modern manner with the distinctive shape highlighted with LED edge lighting, also serving to improve safety during low lighting conditions. Solar panels, charging stations, digital displays, and seating have all been integrated to improve efficiency and the waiting experience.
This iconic design will produly serve as a visual representation of the innovative approaches that the Sioux Area Metro is taking to deliver transit services across our community.
Design Concept 2
Shelter. Protection. Safety. Privacy. Visibility. Our team designed for these needs by applying a visual language with local roots. The proposed Bus Stop and Bus Shelter designs celebrate our rural heritage, drawing inspiration from the trees and shelter belts that have long served as symbols of protection from the elements.
Tree forms informed our structural components and organic canopy elements, while also influencing our material selection. Filtered and colored light and evolving shadow-play provided by colored, transparent, and laser cut panels will offer passive engagement as riders await their bus.
Color selection reflective of the City of Sioux Falls brand palette and the creation of a custom pattern inspired by the City’s logo ensure that the stops and shelters will stand-out in a diverse range of environments, while creating visual continuity across our community.
Functional needs have been addressed through the provision of seating, modern digital displays, and prominent but simple to interpret signage.
The proposed design concepts will meet the critical needs of Sioux Area Metro riders, while also delivering a surprisingly delightful waiting experience.
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