Where some things change while others stay the same.

So I've been thinking about yesterday's discussion of rates of change, and wondering if a good program would be one that has a couple of different rates of change. One example of this is a shopping centre: the retail spaces are frequently remodeled while the corridors remain basically the same. I'm not sure if a shopping centre would be a good program for microarchitectural articulations, but the idea of a building that supports different rates of change seems interesting.

I also missed a couple of programs that have high rates of change:

1. Schools and/or daycare centres: very busy from 9-5, unused the rest of the time
2. Train stations/ferry terminals: very busy when people are waiting.

I was going to make that list a little longer, but I think that train stations/ferry terminals seem like an interesting place to start. In Vancouver there are a number of different places passengers wait for transportation.

• Ferry terminal at Duke Point
• Ferry terminal on North Shore
• Greyhound Bus Terminal on Terminal Avenue and Main Street
• Seabus/Skytrain/WestCoast Express station at Waterfront Station
• Seabus at Lonsdale Quay
• Skytrain/bus at various Skytrain stations (the most famous is Brentwood Station)
• Skytrain/Skytrain at Broadway Station
• UBC Bus Loop

I think most of these designed spaces have pretty much the same requirements.

Since we have been asked to do programs/sites on UBC campus, I think that the most useful site/program to investigate is the UBC bus loop. What are the pros and cons of this?

Pros:

1. A bus loop/station needs seating that is extremely durable and resistant to wear
2. There are significant variations in use during the day
3. The proposed bus loop is underground, which will provide lots of opportunity for sectional variations that support MA's
4. The programmatic use of a bus loop is unlikely to change frequently. Partitions won't go in as user requirements change.
5. A large bus loop will need small scale articulations to give a human scale
6. There are many opportunities to add other programs to the site, like small shops and other things that might need a large covered space
7. The very specific requirements of a bus loop might make it easier to generate architecture
8. Vancouver already has a history of allowing architects to design transit stations (like the Millenium Line Skytrain stations)

What are the cons?

1. The program does not change significantly in the life of the structure. A bus loop is unlikely to be used for anything else and I would be reluctant to design for that.
2. A bus loop would have to deal with issues of homelessness and skateboarders. I like skateboarders and I think they can be very useful in activating a space, but they can make other users of areas very uncomfortable because it is possible they could hit other users.
3. Lighting and structure would be very important and I'm not sure how to tie this in with the MA's.

All in all, a new bus loop at UBC sounds like it could actually be a feasible option for program/site. Hooray! All I need now is a third member of my thesis committee, some site research, a list of dates for committee meetings, some help with structures..... well, an awful lot of stuff. But still, hooray!