Dan Pike ↩

An open competition for the community to bring forward ideas to transform Hobart’s public transport services, and help make waiting for the bus reliable, safe, accessible, and socially connective. My submission, complete with a low-voltage e-ink display, is below:

A Hobart Icon – A Hobart Hub

After an informal survey of Hobart residents, two key factors emerged that contribute to low-level bus patronage: lack of real-time information and waiting in exposed conditions.

To encourage greater awareness of Hobart’s Metro bus network I also wanted to create an identifiable public icon, for Hobart to connect with, as Canberra connects with its bus bunkers.

The shelter takes the form of a bold, bouncing tube, leaping from the ground and zig-zagging along the path, cocooning commuters, to finish on an arm of integrated real-time information.

This information takes visual cues from Hobart’s existing CBD wayfinding signage, to provide a recognisable interface and familiar system for those looking to connect from the CBD to Hobart’s surrounding suburbs. Partnering with local tourism and government organisations to integrate cultural content, and supported by the wayfinding app proposed by Arterial as part of our broader wayfinding strategy rollout.

The shelter’s adaptable geometric forms are fabricated from off-the-shelf extrusions and components where possible, with an array of technology embedded into the solar canopy and tubular structure to carry power, lighting and data for the benefit of the commuters it shelters.