IN THE FOLD

The bus shelter is a unique partnership with Indiana University's J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program and Ignition Arts to design-build an "architecturally significant" bus shelter that is located at Nexus Park on the ColumBUS transit route. The shelter is a blue, bent and perforated plate steel project with integrated pre-cast concrete seating bases and glass featuring the iconic "Dancing Cs," created by designer Paul Rand in 1974.

The steel digital design and fabrication elective immersed students in material research and computational fabrication processes. Through a series of exercises, students gained proficiency in CNC tube bending, laser cutting, and press brake forming. Several leading industry partners and fabricators based in Indiana collaborated with students, including the team at Ignition Arts in Indianapolis. These collaborations bridged the gap between digital design environments and physical production.

During the production phase Ignition Arts welcomed the students into their production facility and the students were able to work alongside seasoned fabricators and use state of the art fabrication equipment to realize their design. Ignition Arts supported the project through all phases of design development, fabrication and installation.