Catch the bus from your living room

And now for something I have been doing!

Local artist Victoria Lobregat and I formed a team to enter the Back To The City urban design competition. Along with 17 other architect/artist teams, our LIVING ROOM design was chosen out of around 50 entries. Our idea was to create a bus shelter that would provide an experience of using public transport which is more personally satisfying than driving.

This little creation enhances the experience of waiting for the bus at stop number 230036 on Hunter Street, Newcastle.
Until we built the living room, this exposed place beside the Clarendon Hotel did not offer a shelter or even a seat. All that a bus passenger found there was a carpark, footpath and small section of tile work which is the remnant of a previous age. Creating an
inviting space where people can pause, eat and drink while waiting for the bus, an intervention is created in the normal momentum of Hunter Street pedestrian traffic. The scale of the work make it a more intimate space than is usually encountered in a public area in the city.

Encouraging people onto the streets of Newcastle, the use of public transport revitalises our cities, reduces impact on climate change and improves heath and fitness.

To do this, we have designed and built an ecclectic Living Room, full of curios of a bygone era, where one can sit comfortably and wait for the bus, or a cappuccino.
As this site is adjacent to the Clarendon hotel, a waiter might come out and take your order.

The Living Room bus shelter is made from recycled timber, with art boxes for the side panels. These three dimensional art boxes are created from found objects by local artist Victoria Lobregat. The artist is inspired by Newcastle’s cultural and industrial heritage within an urban context.

After being installed for over a week, this shelter has not been damaged or vandalised in any way. The comfy cushions provided in the shelter still remain!!

We have received wonderful feedback from locals and tourists, and hear daily stories of people taking photos in the living room, having picnics there and generally breaking into spontaneous smiles in this otherwise empty part of town! Hooray Living Room, you are so CUTE!!