We are elated to announce the theme (and some upgrades) to our annual design competition: FD19!
This year’s theme is Build a Better Bus Stop. Why? It was recently brought to our attention that transit riders are among the most heavily exposed to Particulate Matter pollution because of either riding diesel buses or simply standing on the edge of traffic waiting at bus stops. (Particulate Matter is tiny particles, such as dust, dirt, soot, and smoke, that cause pollution.) Downwinders at Risk, a local activist group, showed us a study that said you could cut PM exposure by 30-40 percent by simply rethinking the bus stop. So that’s what we’re going to do.
For FD19, the challenge is simple: rethink the bus stop to reduce Particulate Matter. And create stops that are inspiring and fun. Of course, it’s not really that easy. The designs need to be easy to assemble using very little hardware. They have to stay on budget. Elements have to be digitally fabricated. And they have to follow DART’s specs as much as possible.
We will provide a $250 budget plus four hours on the CNC router ($400 value). Teams can fundraise up to $750 for a total of $1,000.
We will cap the competition at 10 teams with up to five members each. Architects, designers, urban planners, landscape planners, and anyone interested in beautiful design are welcome to participate.
And an upgrade for this year: we’re offering workshops on digital fabrication to help with your design. Here are the details:
Kickoff/First Workshop on Digital Fabrication: January 16
Second Workshop on Digital Fabrication: January 30
Deadline to sign up: February 4
FD19: May 4, 2019
Want to help bring this contest to life? We’re looking for sponsors. Send us a note at krista@betterblock.org.
Are you a creative who wants to build a better bus stop? Register your team here!