shelter bus ii: FUSION DIFFUSED

Final Project:

shelter bus ii
an opportunity for design
Drawing on your experience from previous projects and all you have learned this semester, design an
inventive and thoughtful shelter bus to meet the needs of the following four hurricane relief workers in
Eastern North Carolina:
• Lynn : a visually-impaired teacher, plays guitar, conservative Jew
• Chris : an African American nurse, training for a marathon, works 3rd shift
• Siu : a language teacher, Montagnard, broke leg recently and on crutches
• Chi Chi : a nurse from New Mexico, has a pet bird, Hispanic
Address the following:
• strong relationships between design of space and expression of concept
• significant transformation of one or more spaces by manipulating the architecture of the bus
shell (more than a sliding door)
• spaces to sleep : eat : groom : converse : read : sing : cook : clean : reflect : live
• vertical access onto and through the bus shell
• detailed exploration of innovative approaches to sections, materials, colors and textures,
built-ins and fixtures
• outdoor space(s) to satisfy programmatic requirements that extend from shell/reinforce concept
• excellence in craft for all drawings and models
Deliverables:
• two 24x36“ boards, horizontal orientation
o Board A : 1 long section and 2 cross sections, rendered with attention to color, material,
light and shadow (1“=1‘)
o Board B : 2 rendered details (minimum), title, conceptual statement (a sentence or two),
plan diagram (no larger than 6“ in width with clearly labeled section cuts)
• a beautifully constructed tectonic model (1/2“=1‘) that demonstrates spatial relationships and
their transformation
• a detailed outline of a verbal presentation that identifies your conceptual framework and spells
out design approaches and intentions, making specific reference to deliverables
• a fully articulated report on your conceptual intent and an analysis and justification of materials
specified (2 pages)

Starting out, I tried to come up with a concept for my design. I started by thinking of what I wanted the concept to incorporate and then came up with words that described this.

I finally decided on the concept of FUSION DIFFUSED.

This is the idea that these four very different relief workers are coming together within this bus and then are spreading out into the community to help others.

It was then time to figure out how this would be incorporated into the design of the bus. Here are some pictures of the process of the design:

Fusion Diffused and how concept relates to design:

Fusion Diffused is the merging of diverse, distinct or separate elements into a unified whole which is then spread out and expanded. This idea directly relates to the four hurricane relief workers, Lynn, Chris, Siu, and Chi Chi. These four workers are each unique and come from very different backgrounds. Despite their differences they are setting them aside and coming together to help a community in need. The relief workers each use their individual talents to spread out into the community and help in various ways, including teaching and nursing.
Fusion Diffused is directly seen in the Shelter Bus itself. Starting on the outside the bus takes a more curved shaped demonstrating the more fluid-like movements of fusion and diffusion. When the bus is closed, before transformation, it is meant to show the fusion of the design. Two larger pieces (in yellow) appear to be fused on to the rest of the bus (in red). These yellow sections are also made out of translucent material. That way when the bus is closed the yellow sections overlap the red to show a blending or fusing of the two colors into orange. Throughout the entire bus, the colors yellow, red and orange are used. These were chosen because they are more active and demonstrate the action of fusion and diffusion more clearly.
When the bus is stopped and transformed it becomes diffused. Each of the sections of the bus are spread out linearly. There are also two sections of the bus that have walls that pop out on the side. When first entering the bus you go into the driver area which opens to a glass door leading to the outdoor space; here there is only a roof and a floor. This is a section that has been spread out. There are wooden benches that fold down from the walls, creating a meeting space for the relief workers. Here then can converse with others or even spend time alone in reflection. This outdoor space leads to another door which slides open to the kitchen. This is the largest space in the bus, and is a big community space. Here there are counters that are fused around the stove, oven and the refrigerator. On the opposite side of the wall there is another counter space, made of wood that is for sitting and eating. The side of it is curved and made to fuse into the walls. It also has chairs that fit directly into the side of the counter space. This shows the idea of a fused together counter that then can be diffused.
The large kitchen space is open to the living room. This is an area for relaxing, reading, and conversing. When the bus is closed, this space contains a couch that appears to be a normal rounded couch. However, when the bus transforms, so does the couch. It can be spread out to three different sections with a little table in between the sections. The living room also has rooms that pop out on both sides. These are bedroom spaces for the relief workers Lynn and Siu. It is in the middle of the bus which is good for Siu because of her broken leg and being on crutches. In the two rooms on the side there is a bed that folds down from the wall. There is nothing else in the room but there is plenty of space for the workers to bring their personal items in once the bus is transformed.
From the living room, the bathroom can be accessed. There is a toilet, shower, and sink with storage in this room. The counter for the sink shows fusion by being fused to the shower as well as the wall. The hallway around the bathroom leads to the back of the bus which starts out as the storage and desk space before the bus is transformed. Here there are storage containers for each of the relief workers. Once the bus is transformed the workers can roll the storage space into their individual rooms. There are also desks within this space that can be moved into less occupied areas of the end of the bus. These desks are also made similar to that of the counters for eating in the kitchen; the chairs of the desk directly fit into the shape of the desk. This last space also has pop-out spaces for bedrooms on each side. These bedrooms are for Chris and Chi Chi. With their bedrooms at the back of the bus, they are more suited for Chi Chi’s bird, as well as, Chris having more space to train for the marathon.
This shelter bus shows fusion diffused not only in the design of the bus but also in what it allows the relief workers to do. They have a large meeting space where they can come together to recollect and learn from each other after a long day of work. The bus allows them individual space to recuperate and get ready to diffuse back out into the community the next day. This shelter bus allows them to fuse together as a group of relief workers while still diffusing out into the community and making a difference.