FD19: Build a Better Bus Stop is our design competition that will address some of the issues of the typical bus stop. How do we reduce particulate matter for those waiting for bus stops? And how do we make a bus stop fun?
We have given 11 teams $250, four hours on our CNC router (basically, a giant printer for wood), and freedom to create whatever they want, as long as it’s a bus stop.
On May 4, they will build their prototypes at our headquarters. We will have judges determine a winner, but we will also have you pick your favorite stop.
Before the competition, we wanted to get to know the teams a little better. Today, we bring our Meet the Bus Stop Builders video series to a finish with our final FD19 team: TBG & Boka Powell.
This unique group of young professionals is combining two disciplines for FD19. The four landscape architects from TBG Partners are collaborating with one talented structural architect from Boka Powell to create an outdoor landmark that is structurally sound and inviting.
Unlike most teams, TBG & Boka Powell have two members with recent experiences using city buses for transportation to and from work in downtown Dallas. Those combined experiences have allowed the team to be a little more in tune with the reality of relying on bus transportation.
“Our bus stop is focused on integrating common sense design into the built environment,” says Lindsey White, leader of the team. Based on their members’ personal city experiences combined with their knowledge of outdoor placemaking, TBG & Boka Powell is transforming a traditionally bland and uninviting feature of the public realm into something new.
The group has put together a model that considers many of the practical elements of a bus stop that are often overlooked. Is there a place to leave a bike or scooter, for instance? Their design incorporates some critical multimodal elements to account for these alternate modes of transportation and more.
Another issue the group wants to focus on is safety. This area is tricky because there are both particulate matter to address and personal safety from crime. “We want our bus stop to be a beacon of safety with many eyes on it, which is why we need an interesting design,” says Alex Hobdy from TBG Partners. The team has found a way to incorporate visibility and shielding at once to meet both goals.
TBG & Boka Powell are eager to see how their designs play out on a real streetscape and hear your opinions on their bus stop. Join us on May 4 from 6-9 pm in front of the Better Block’s Dallas office (700 West Davis) to enjoy music and vendors while watching the designers’ ideas come to life.
FD19 is made possible by the following sponsors: Nunzio Marc DeSantis Architects, Downwinders at Risk, OmniPlan, Craig Schenkel Properties, 3Headed Monster, and Oddfellows.
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