Committee Prep II: Presentation Boogaloo

Well, it's definately useful to write down everything that I know. Unfortunately, that doesn't always translate into a good presentation. What will make a good presentation is a concise & succinct presentation of what I know.

Since that may not come through, here is a list of what I need to do for tomorrow at 5:45.

1. Outline DS project. Pick a couple of precedents and a couple of microarchitectural articulations (MA's) and describe how they work.
2. Outline site. Show current site and proposed site, including new renders of SUB plaza and transit hub. Describe Properties Trust's ideas for SUB plaza mall.
3. Outline program. Explain the need for a space that slows the flow of students to the bus loop.
4. Look at design obstacles/opportunities. This should include: rents required to pay for part of hub, grade change over site, daylighting, comfort and keeping students dry, requirement for 'liveliness'.

I need to do this whole presentation in 20 slides or less and keep it to required information. I know more about this site than anyone on my committee, and I want to make sure that I don't overwhelm them because I know so much.

I'm not yet clear on the best way to organize this information. Is it better to start with the MA's and then talk about site/program and design obstacles? Or should I start out with the site and design problem and suggest that MA's are a good solution for it? I guess I'll start out trying to describe MA's and then I can stick that portion of the presentation wherever it seems to fit best.

Metric ton of new info.

I had a meeting with UBC Properties Trust today. It was a great meeting: I spent an hour and a half talking about the new transit loop and SUB plaza. The only problem is that now I have a ton of new information that I need to sort out in my head, then work into my presentation. The presentation that is in less than 24 hours. Uh, yay?

Okay, so here is what's going on:

The new transit hub has been passed from VIA to Hughes Condon Marler. VIA did the original work, bu it has since been significantly tweaked by HCM. The current plan is roughly rhomboid and the trolley buses and community shuttles have been moved to the surface. The loop itself has been divided into two parts, which are the passenger loading area and the bus waiting area (where the buses are left when the drivers are taking their breaks). The passenger loading area is divided from the passenger waiting area by sliding glass doors that electronically open when the bus arrives so passengers can load. Passengers with bicycles will use the front entry to go around the bus to pick up their bicycles. The two portions are divided to reduce exhaust fumes in the passenger waiting area.

The size of the bus loop is determined by various factors. To the south is a large steam tunnel, to the north is the student union building and the bosque and to the east is the Aquatic Centre. Columns have been placed so that the buses can get through the space most effectively and the size of the waiting area is dictated by the amount of space required by the buses and the space required by cyclists to retrieve their bicycles.

The underground bus loop is accessed either by the two elevators (in the buildings on the SUB plaza) or by a large staircase that leads to the centre of the loop. While I was initially concerned about the amount of students attempting to get out of the loop on a single stair, studies show that if 95% of users are on the stairs it will be sufficient.

What is much more of a concern is the waiting area for the buses. While in the morning students can be expected to leave the transit loop as quickly as possible, in the afternoons they will be loitering around the loop to catch their buses. This can lead to as many as 800 people standing around (about 5:10 in the afternoon, if you are wondering when not to catch a bus).

UBC Properties trust felt that a way to mitigate this bunching would be to create loitering space on the plaza above the loop. If students are aware that a lag of 30min to 1 hr would cut their waiting time significantly they would likely be amenable to waiting outside the bus loop with coffee. The SUB plaza is intended to house a variety of different amenities, including two coffee shops, a bank, drycleaners and a range of food outlets from hot dog stands to mid-range dining. These services will be in the two buildings on the plaza.

Unfortunately it takes more than restaurants to create a space where students want to hang out. A large plaza would be equally ineffective: most UBC residents/students are aware that Library Plaza (between Main and Koerner Libraries) is virtually unused other than a passage between one side of the campus to the other. Modern students do not demonstrate as they used to, nor is our university conducive to large groups of people.

My thesis talks a lot about how to make spaces lively and how body-scale articulations can help to activate a space by suggesting possible uses without denying others. It sounds like the SUB plaza/transit exchange could benefit from a few microarchitectural articulations (MA's) to create spaces where students could pass anywhere from 10 minutes to a few hours while they wait for the buses to calm down. This slowing of load would make an enormous difference to anyone waiting for the bus and may prevent line-ups for the B-Line from winding all the way up the stairs out onto the new plaza.

There are a few other things worth noting. There will be housing on this plaza: probably about 120 units of 2-4 bedroom suites that are administered by UBC Properties trust and can be rented by students. This is not market housing. This will be three stories above the retail floor and there will also be an office 'tower' that rises five floors above the retail. The plaza will be surrounded by retail outlets. There is no space for retail in the underground loop.