Co-design challenge winner Aston Martin and architecture super-firm Foster + Partners have teamed up to give the famed double-decker Routemaster a makeover.
Designed in collaboration with Aston Martin in response to Transport for London’s competition to design a new bus for the city. There are two first place winning design challenges pre-opinions with a vehicle that is environmentally sensitive, accessible and reinvents a much-loved symbol of London for the modern era. After an intense period of research which included canvassing opinion from passengers, drivers and conductors, the team worked to design a new bus from the inside-out. In doing so, consideration was given to a wide range of issues including layout, use of materials, motive power, passenger experience and the impact of the bus on the environment of the city.
The bus is designed to navigate the dense and varied streets of London, employing innovative technologies to allow for greater maneuverability and energy conservation. Optimizing safety, the driver’s cabin provides panoramic views as well as incorporating screens to supervise CCTV images and radio communications with the on-board conductor. Much like a car or a building, the design evolved in response to the needs of its users. The layout, lighting and wooden floors are conceived to encourage a spirit of warmth and community. The arrangement of the decks is driven by comfort and particular consideration is given to the selection of reconstituted leather upholstery to create a tactile ‘living room’ feel, especially in the saloon-like lower deck.
The new bus is zero emissions ready, accessible for all and will set new standards for sustainable public service vehicles. Passengers benefit from views from the top of the deck through a glazed roof which incorporates solar cells to absorb sunlight and generate energy. By filtering daylight the internal temperature is well controlled. The bus design re-introduces the rear open access platform that made London’s Routemaster bus so popular up until its withdrawal from general service. This is supplemented by a side door to facilitate access for those with impaired mobility as well as families with young children.
Below: Co-winner and alternate bus concept by capoco design
aston martin
capoco design
foster + partners
Yes, this works for me.
Pre-visualization techniques did wonders for my skiing and tennis. Enjoying the recent buzz on power of visualization in design. Remember the big push on SUV’s? Would love to see a similar effort on the micro-car. Especially from the likes of this producer.
[
via designthinking]
Style, function, and safety.
above: lower body shell is constructed of a plastic containing polymers that change color when the temperature of the iron changes.
above: handle pivots downward to release steam from the steam plate.
Designer: Erik Pavon
[
the designblog]
Scientists at MIT are testing a new power generation, storage and propulsion system known as the GreenWheel that will turn any pedal bicycle into an electric hog.
The GreenWheel is a self-contained electric wheel that can turn any pedal-powered bike into
a fully-electric bicycle!
From the outside, the GreenWheel has the radius of a small dinner plate and is about 2 inches thick. Inside the aluminum frame sits the three major GreenWheel components: an electric generator, batteries and an electric motor.
For now, installing GreenWheel on your own does require a moderate level of technical knowledge or a trip to a bike shop. The GreenWheel can be installed on any bike frame or wheel size, but the original spokes have to be replaced with shorter spokes.
Developed by Ryan Chin and Michael Chia-Lian Lin as part of MIT’s Smart Cities programs. The objective is to create a working prototype that can be installed and retroffited to any bike. The team is also thinking for the long term – they estimate that the batteries for the GreenWheel will last around 40,000 miles, or about 8 years worth of travelling.
mit smart cities
This is a robot. A metro transport for two passengers with ordinary hand-held baggage or one with luggage.
The taxi is composed of two main parts – an undercarriage and a cabin. The car is driven by two electric motors which are integrated into the rear wheels. There’s optical sensors around all the undercarriage to get maximum view for driving, navigation and control. While the concept looks futuristic, industrial designer Kubik Petr believes it’s going to happen sooner than we think with the modern technology at hand.
Designer: Kubik Petr
via ecofriend
Concept motorcycle designed to run on electricity.
Nicolas Petit has designed the Harley Davidson Trunk concept – a bike designed to run on clean, zero emission electricity.
Designer: Nicolas Petit
[ecofriend]
The Peugeot Capsule concept is a single-seat off-road vehicle that was inspired by do-everything adventure touring motorcycles like the Kawasaki KLR 650.
Unlike a motorcycle the Capsule would provide weather protection, plus enough storage to allow for extended overnight adventures. Of interest, a single touch screen that would control vehicle functions and offer internet-enabled satellite connectivity.
Electric motors would provide propulsion to all four wheels, and a roof-mounted solar panel would help keep the batteries topped up on sunny days. Once stopped, a removable luggage rack would double as a stool or desk at the campsite.
Designer: Alp Germaner
Producer: Peugeot
{VIA]
Just how much space one person needs. 6,000 square feet? 600? Well, try 30 square feet.
The Paco home has a hammock, a Japanese-style recessed desk, a sink, toilet and shower, all in a crate that’s a 3-meter-cube. Not intended to replace where you live now, but rather to supplement it. It could be a beach house, a portable office – anything, really, as long as you find a way to lug it into place and hook up the water. Getting inside? A hatch-like roof to get in.
Designer: Jo Nagasaka
Producer: sschemata
