HEATOP
Bus station with warm care for Northeast China
Street furniture | Product system | Design for warmth | Design for waiting experience | Public space
Personal project 2014.05
INTRODUCTION
I live and study in Northeast China. Many citizens take bus everyday. However, things can be terrible here when winter comes, The low temperature and strong sea wind steal people’s heat while they can do nothing but wait since there is no real-time bus line information. The terrible experience inspired me to redesigned the bus stop in this area. I took Dalian and Yingkou, two cities I study and live in, as examples.
TWO MAIN FACTORS
Awful weather
Deficient bus info. system
The low temperature and strong wind from the Bohai Sea are the main natural factors.
There is neither a precise timetable nor a real-time tracking system for the bus line. So people can’t schedule their time for waiting a bus. After getting to a bus station, they still have no idea how long they have to wait.
A detailed bus line timetable is impossible, a real-time bus line timetable is possible.
The bus can’t get to a stop at an exact time because the whole network is not maturity. It’s very hard for the bus to get to a station on time even if the timetable is offered. To offer a reference to the waiting people, the real-time bus line info. system is feasible. People can know where the bus is and can estimate how long they have to wait or decide if they would wait.
INVESTIGATION ON PEOPLE
People taking bus can be divided into three main categories - office workers, students and senior citizens. Office worker is the largest group. The three categories all have their own features. The study of their behaviours when waiting bus helps to define the functions of my redesign.
Long waiting time means various activities
Based on my observation, the station should offer a space for people to kill their waiting time. Since people sometimes have to wait for a long time, the station should support their other activities like having a brief breakfast, getting a rest from carrying big bags, chatting with friends, etc.
PROBE ON BUS STOP
Bus stop can be divided into the open form and the block form. The block form have no problems of warming. I focus on the open form, which involves three types.
The sawtooth stop is high in scale and is more suitable to be transferred into the block form. It's better to make the redesign from the simple and port stops which involves busy bus lines.
People flow
People tend to find their positions away from others. The habit makes the crowd distribution even. A research has shown that the density of 2.5 person/m is the normal condition. This helps to define the size of the bus stop.
CONCEPT
To improve the experience, I redesign the stop in three aspects:
Electrical heaters are used to bring warm.
Real-time bus line condition, which allows people to estimate their waiting time.
The stop is a semi-open space, which finds a balance between shielding wind and unblocking pedestrian passing by. Besides, some elements involved allow people to enjoy their meal or have a relaxed moment better in the stop.
Fine heating for hands and feet
Hands and feet are easier to loose heat. Heater aimed at these parts can maximize the heating efficiency.
Sketch exploration
Modelling
VISUALISITION
Info. system
The info. system offers a reference for the waiting people to estimate how long they will have to wait. So they can decide if they have to stay there or do something else, or even choose other transportations.
Heating system
