Transit Stop Design Delivers Message In A Bottle

bottlestop bus station image

Yvette Hurt of Art in Motion in Lexington, Kentucky, notes that a Federal study concluded that more people used public transit systems that incorporated art. So they held a competition to design an arty bus shelter, which was won by Aaron Scales of McKay Snyder Architects, a local firm.

It is made of bottles of a local favourite ~~beer~~ ginger ale called Ale 8 One, donated by the brewery. “I'm from Kentucky, and Ale 8 One is something I've kind of grown up with,” said Scales, an architectural intern at McKay Snyder, who was a senior at the University of Kentucky when the shelter design was done.

heineken wobo bottles photo
Heineken WOBO bottles from 1963

I immediately got all excited that it might be like the Heineken WOBO (see TreeHugger or Inhabitat) or put together like a bottle building, but alas, they are just attached to each other with silicone and sandwiched between tempered glass.

bottlestop transit stop detail image

Jennifer Hewlett of the Herald-Leader writes that "The glass and metal structure will be 6½ feet by 18 feet long and contain seats of various heights for LexTran riders. LexTran will put in the concrete base for the shelter, and will be responsible for the structure's upkeep.

Bottlestop will be environmentally friendly, not only because it will give new life to a lot of old, green Ale 8 One bottles as well as some clear glass bottles originally made for NuGrape soda, but because of its lighting system, those involved in the project said. At night, the shelter will be lit by solar-powered lights."

bottlestop transit stop image