Lawrence Transit is pleased to present the new railroad-themed bus shelter at Haskell and 12th, adjacent to the Burroughs Creek Trail. This one-of-a-kind shelter incorporates rail and wheels from local railroads and was designed and built in partnership with interns from the KU School of Architecture and Design. Christian Maglasang and John Veirs completed the project as part of an internship with local design/build firm Struct/Restruct.

This bus stop was originally designed for an upgrade to a bench and did not have adequate concrete space for a prefabricated bus shelter. The Struct/Restruct team worked creatively within the existing concrete footprint, ensuring that there was enough space for a bench, an overhanging roof, and the ADA clear space incorporated into improved bench and shelter sites around town. Struct/Restruct provided the materials, design, and labor for the project. Seibel Fabrication completed the metalwork and Lawrence Parks & Recreation installed the structure.

“It’s a perfect-sized summer project for [architecture] interns,” said Eric Jay, co-owner of Struct/Restruct. “It’s not overwhelming, but it’s got enough detail to [work through] and make it functional. They went through the whole process of coming up with sketch ideas, and translating that to CAD work on the computer, and then figuring out how to source things to build with.”

Christian and John found inspiration in the history of the neighborhood. They landed on the idea of designing a bus shelter tied into the theme of transportation by relating it to the railroad that used to run where the Burroughs Creek Trail is now located.

“The track that ran down through Burroughs Creek used to be a main artery for Lawrence, so having that turn into this nice long walking park, it felt right to bring that inspiration and history into the area as well,” said John.

As they began the project, the team had the idea to incorporate original railroad materials in the design, which they were able to find locally.

“It was nice to bring new life to these materials,” said Christian. “The wheels were being recycled in Kansas City, and the railroad was found in the park across the street, just covered in dirt.”

Both John and Christian said they enjoyed working on a project that will contribute to the public infrastructure. “That’s a big part of what architecture really is to both of us, I think,” said John. “Getting to work on something that’s going to be used by the public, seen by the public, interacted with, and really be out there, just feels so satisfactory.”

“I’m thrilled to be able to say this is something I’ve worked on that I feel fits nicely within the neighborhood,” said Christian. “To be able to have that positive impact on the community and put my name next to that, I think it’s a great experience.”

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