Bangkok Belonging

Building bus stop for the future - 1st place winner with most public votes

At a glance

My friends and I teamed up and entered a "New Shelter Design" competition, promoting public transportation development through designing a new generation of Bangkok bus stop.

Our team won the 1st place from 112 student teams and got the most votes from the public. The score came from experts 80% and the general public 20%. The criteria included convenience, safety, site-appropriateness, and creativity.

My friends and I teamed up and entered a "New Shelter Design" competition, promoting public transportation development through designing a new generation of Bangkok bus stop.

Our team won the 1st place from 112 student teams and got the most votes from the public. The score came from experts 80% and the general public 20%. The criteria included convenience, safety, site-appropriateness, and creativity.

My friends and I teamed up and entered a "New Shelter Design" competition, promoting public transportation development through designing a new generation of Bangkok bus stop.

Our team won the 1st place from 112 student teams and got the most votes from the public. The score came from experts 80% and the general public 20%. The criteria included convenience, safety, site-appropriateness, and creativity.

Competition host

MAYDAY Group, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA)

Contribution

Research, concept design, product design, graphic design, pitching

Team

Suppawit Sripongpunkul (architect)

Weth Manojureehakul (architect)

Patchara Kungsadalpipob (industrial designer)

Sirinda Limsong (industrial designer)

Duration

Jan - Feb 2021 (2 months)

What is Bangkok?

Bangkok, in our sense, is "Diversity"

But

But on the other hand, public transportation such as buses that is the center of these 'diversities' , the “bus stop” that we see every day is not suitable for the environment of Bangkok and do not correspond to the behavior of different users.


This causes the sign to lack compatibility with the context of the area and has become a problem that has existed for so long.

What if…

How can the design help solve the current bus stop problem?

The design that understands both 'Bangkok and Bangkok people' by responding to the diversity of the environment, people's behavior, while still maintaining Bangkok's identity. It would also be good if this could be a small starting point for Bangkok people to have a better quality of life.

Design solution

From the topic of Bangkok Belonging, the word Belonging in our view means 'Uniting with the area'. We intend to communicate the context of the area or people through the use of colors, patterns, and showcasing the area's identity. As a result, bus stops become memorable and help navigating the way.

From the topic of Bangkok Belonging, the word Belonging in our view means 'Uniting with the area'. We intend to communicate the context of the area or people through the use of colors, patterns, and showcasing the area's identity. As a result, bus stops become memorable and help navigating the way.

With the concept of "Modular", we have designed small units so they can be customized to suit each environment's characteristics. In addition, modular systems make it easier to add or remove subunits, which makes production and transportation more efficient.

With the concept of "Modular", we have designed small units so they can be customized to suit each environment's characteristics. In addition, modular systems make it easier to add or remove subunits, which makes production and transportation more efficient.

Bus stop details

Application to various contexts

We have considered different usage contexts of the city, which affect the diversity of spaces and how people use them. Based on MAYDAY survey data, we have selected three areas that represent different contexts.

01 Bangrak area

Existing

A shopping district with narrow walkway and does not have a proper bus stop, causing scattered people while waiting for buses and block the way. The area is quite dark at night, making it dangerous and difficult to see the sidewalk.

Solution

We chose 'lean-to' and 'frame-based' modulars to occupy as little space as possible. We believe that clear bus stops will help organize the area and reduce people traffic. Moreover, the transparent frame will reduce nighttime blind spot.

02 Wongwianyai area

Existing

This area has large trees along the sidewalk, blocking almost half of the walkway. And another problem is that the walkways are narrow like in the Bangrak area.

Solution

In order to preserve the original environment, we designed the bus stop as a modular unit that inserts between trees, allows people to wait from the back and can be sized to suit walkway width.

03 Ratchadapisek area

Existing

The area is connected to a subway station, with street furniture blocking the walkway which cannot be moved. Another issue is that it is an area with heavy traffic, especially during rush hours.

Solution

The modular can be arranged in many ways, including focusing on sitting or standing and leaning. This bus stop is located parallel to obstacles to defines the space boundaries. Despite being an open space, it protects users from rain.

Reflection

This project improves my ability to connect people’s needs and translate them into a universal design by creating a bus shelter that balances aesthetic appeal, community identity, and practicality. Through the design process, it exposed me to public design from a wider perspective.

Copyright © Sirinda Limsong 2023

Copyright © Sirinda Limsong 2023

Copyright © Sirinda Limsong 2023