Winner: Multi Disciplinary Team Category

Loop Team

University of Cape Town

Alexander Frehse, Lawden Homes, Aleksandar Stojakovic, Imibayonle Windapo

 

The Loop is a public bus transit centre situated in the heart of Claremont, Cape Town. Within its immediate proximity there is a both a train station and taxi-rank. Given the design of the project, it forms a new public square and fulfills its functional requirements as a building that provides waiting areas (safe from wind and rain and externa elements), ticket sales, small scale retail, toilet facilities, and rainwater collection and distribution facility.

The climate of Claremont is to a large degree is a coastal temperate climate, but can become cold quickly with a few clouds and the prevailing South-Easter wind. The rains can be quite heavy during the winter months, and in combination with the strong South Easter can travel at an angle, which is an important point to consider. The sun in general in South Africa is quite harsh, so shaded areas are an absolute necessity.

 

DESIGN GOALS:

Create a building that spurs on an integrated planning idea,create a vibrant destination, be climatically responsive, be created by using modular elements and finally create a successful Bus terminal that is active for the majority of teh day.

When understanding a new construction as something sustainable, one should measure it by analyzing it in its context, both macro and micro: architectural, social, functional, environmental qualities. When initiating the design we considered what a bus stop is in the most elementary sense, and what it means to be a person making use of such a space. There are a lot of technologies that that help regulate and maintain a healthy indoor quality of buildings, but we set out to avoid the need for such technological solutions by nullifying it as a problem in the first place.

The concept was born from this ideal and we set out to create a ‘pod’ (or unit) that is a refined bus stop, accommodating all the necessities: sheltered waiting space (from rain, wind, sun), visibility of buses, retail, easy way-finding, natural ventilation, and ample lighting (natural-lighting during the day).

 

DEVELOPMENT OF POD

Have the pods with their own roofs, with pitched roof (the initial one). Then explain how we wanted to maximize solar panel m² and collection of rainwater, but architecturally indicate that they belong together. This allowed us to free up the design of the pod as being independent, and the roof being responsible for shading and rainwater collection.

THe BIM process created a platform with which we have made use of system variables, objective analysis, data rich design and self Iterative procedures to create The Loop. Systems such as:  Autodesk Revit , Autodesk Vasari.

The processes, massing and ideas started in Vasari, developing through worked 3D models into what then became a structural and architectural coordinated Revit Model.