Getting in and getting out

One of the things I really noticed with the new bus loop is that it significantly changes the flow of traffic around the student union building.

This map shows movement patterns for transit users. Red are users going to the north-east part of campus (mostly Arts), blue is going to the south-west (mostly science) and purple is going to the Student Union Building. This is a simplification because there other directions, but the majority of users go in these two directions.

Last week I gave some user statistics from the Transportation Status Report. One of the numbers that I didn't include were estimations of how many people pass through the bus loop in the busiest hours on campus. In the hours ending at 9:00 and 10:00, nearly 4,500 people get off buses on campus. That's almost 9,000 students, staff and faculty in two hours, or a new person every 0.8 seconds. That's a lot of people.

I remember from my time on campus how crowded it could get around the bus loop in peak times. That's why I was a little surprised when I assembled the same kind of map for the University Boulevard project, from the slide on conceptual design issues .

The only access to the underground transit station is two escalators.

I started to try to calculate how long it would take to get out of the transit loop if there were only two escalators, but realised that this is against fire codes. There must be more exits that for some reason have not been included in the diagram.

Vancouver is not cold enough to require fully enclosed transit hub. Considering our bus shelters and Skytrain stations (note the architects) it seems enough to protect passengers from wind and rain. Even during especially cold periods, it rarely gets below -10 degrees celcius.

I'm very anxious to see the plans for the tranist hub from VIA architects and/or UBC Properties Trust. I hope they have information to fill in these blanks.

Presentation Preparation

Since two of the four members of my thesis committee can't meet on Wednesday, Thesis Advisor M and I decided to change the date to next Tuesday. I've started to prepare a powerpoint presentation to describe what I want my project to be about, but I'm still having trouble arranging my thoughts coherently. I need to clearly show:

• What is currently on the site of the proposed bus loop
• How the SUB plazas and Grassy Knoll interacted with the old bus loop
• How it currently functions and what use opportunities it provides for students
• What the University Boulevard Competition proposes
• How the proposal does not offer adequate use opportunities to replace what is currently on the site
• That the interface between the aboveground University Boulevard Competition entry and the belowground transit loop is not optimal
• That for my thesis I want to design a interface between the competition entry and the belowground transit loop that offers the same use opportunities as the SUB plazas and the grassy knoll.
• Some of the information I want to take into account when I design it

In addition to this, I also need to adequately describe the microarchitectural articulations. I'll be going back to some earlier posts to find that information.

Off topic...

No new posts yesterday: I took the day off to recover from the most fabulous LArch Wig out. Even with the extra rest, the Flying Squirrels lost another game today, but a bunch of desk jockeys didn't have too much chance against HKin. At least I got a chance to a) wear my fancy new shin guards and b) head the ball.

Layers of Desire: University (cake)

The Board of Directors want a different kind of bus loop than students -- again, both above and below ground. (In this case, Board of Directors should be taken as people that work towards development of the University and are interested in cash flow as well as experience)

Directors want:

• to provide gateways to the campus which identify a sense of arrival, establish pedestrian/bike priority to the campus and slow traffic.
• to retain a transit exchange in the vicinity of East Mall and University Boulevard
• to encourage mixed use: retail, office, housing and other institutional uses
• a busy urban plaza
• a maximum average FSR of 1.6 FSR
• a retail and commercial space along University Boulevard with uses directed towards the daytime and evening population of the University
• to allow for the possibility of expansion to allow for new rapid buses
• to accomodate dwelling units for faculty/staff/students on upper floors and commercial use on lower floors
• provide weather protection for pedestrians

What's already there: SUB plazas

The most famous event that happens in the SUB plazas is Storm the Wall. The Plaza is filled with mulch (which is later spread around the campus) and 12 foot walls are erected that students have to haul each other over, after swimming, biking and sprinting their way through a relay race.
The plaza works as a natural collector. It is used for protests, displays and different kinds of events. In September, fraternities and sororities use the space during rush week, the Genocide Awareness Project uses the plaza for display, and protestors demonstrate around the Goddess of Democracy.

Many of these things were possible because of the placement of the plaza. Any student moving from the south side of campus to the Student Union Building will likely cross the plaza, and proximity to the old bus loop ment that almost every student who came into UBC on public transit would move through this space during the day.

Layers of desire: Student (creamy filling)

People want different things from the site of the new bus loop (both above and below ground)

Students want:

• a place to hold Storm the Wall
• green space where people can interact
• a bus loop where they feel safe/has natural light/has retail spaces
• Student services such as lounges and study rooms
• Year round exterior seating spaces
• Public space instead of commercial space
• Pedestrian only space

What's already there: The Grassy Knoll

The University Boulevard Competition proposes to replace the Grassy Knoll and the Lower SUB Plaza with a covered area and retail buildings. These two areas, however, serve various purposes that may not be adequately served by the new spaces.

The Grassy Knoll serves as:

• A metaphorical rallying point


• A movie theater (see Friday September 8th)


• A place to eat outdoors


• A place to meet people


• A demonstration space


• ski/toboggan hill


• A place to watch Storm the Wall

It is referred to as "a site for and symbol of student activism... a cherished spot on campus."

The Lower SUB Plaza is used as:

• A space for discourse


• Sport area

Comments about designs for the are new bus loop say

• that students are "very concerned about the underground bus loop. In all the designs, having more entrances and somehow opening it up a little would make (them) feel a lot more comfortable about going there, especially at night. Also, there (is) lots of paving and almost no natural surfaces..."


• that “The grassy knoll is one of the few places students can gather on campus to meet each
  other, to socialize and to build real community. All the proposals replace this with places for students to buy things and consume. We want real social, green space, not the limited amounts each proposal has to offer.”


• That “What UBC campus lacks is green spaces which act as communal meeting grounds for its students and staff. Boulevards do not count, as no-one actually hangs out on boulevards. The grassy knoll currently is one of the only such features of this campus.”


• That students are “VERY concerned with the destruction of the "grassy knoll." It has long been the center of student political activity on campus, and is well used as such. There seems to be an emphasis in these presentations on cozy pathways and places to lounge in the sun. This is blatantly impractical, as there is rain at UBC for most of the school year. UBC is a large school, and this should be celebrated; it feels good, as a student, to be part of a crowd in an open space, all rushing to class in the same direction. The division of this open space into smaller pathways actually diminishes this sense of community, in addition to creating a potential safety hazard for students walking at night. "