Taking a bus ride may not always be comfortable, but these bus stops will make you want to ditch you car or bike for the public transport.
The little Austrian town of Krumbach invited seven architects to design bus stops and the result is marvelous. The town probably has the most fashionable and wacky bus stops in the whole wide world right now.
The "Bus:Stop" project was commissioned by Krumbach's cultural association, through which it wanted to boost tourism in the city. Seven architects from various countries like Spain, Belgium, Chile and Japan were invited to showcase their talents and were offered a vacation in the town instead of their fees! Funds for the projects came from private sponsors.
On its official website, the association writes:
"As a famous architecture country (30,000 tourists come every year simply because of our building culture), we want to help shape the international exchange."
"The aim of this project is to link design achievements of international architecture with the know-how and skills of local handcraft-based businesses in the Bregenzerwald," explained the project organisers. "This is made possible by involving regional architects as a kind of mediator between 'foreign' creative work and the abilities of our craftspeople," project organizers told Dezeen.
The architects worked for a year on the bus stops that opened this month. An exhibition featuring the bus stop pictures will be held at the Vorarlberg Architecture Institute.
Check out the bus stops below: (List courtesy: The Atlantic; Picture courtesy: Dezeen)
Sou Fujimoto, Japan: "Everyone may climb the tower-like bus stop to enjoy panoramic views of Krumbach. A transparent forest of columns can create interesting scenery in a site surrounded by nature."