City Unveils Prototypes for Bus Shelters, Newsstands

The city's Department of Transportation yesterday unveiled the sleek prototypes for new bus shelters, newsstands, and automatic public restrooms for final review by the city's Design Advisory Committee.

The prototypes were built by a Spanish company, Cemusa, and designed by Grimshaw Architects of England. The designs feature large panes of laminated, light-green glass in minimal structures of steel - a slick upgrade from the bland bus shelters now on the streets. The head of industrial design at Grimshaw, Duncan Jackson, said the design is "modern, but not attached to a particular style," which he said will help them to last beyond the end of the 20-year "street furniture" contract.

About 3,500 bus shelters, 330 newsstands, and 20 public restrooms are included in the contract with Cemusa. The city's current shelters and newsstands will be removed and replaced by the new furniture after the final designs are approved by the Department of Transportation and city agencies. The structures unveiled yesterday are still subject to change in the final design period.

Like short sleeves in December or a skirt in March, the only drawback to the designs' attractive openness is their inability to protect New Yorkers from frigid winds.

The chief executive officer of Cemusa, Toulla Constatinou, said bus shelter designs that enclose the riders are "dangerous."

The prototype shelters are outfitted with large-type signs bearing the name of the bus stop. Inside, there are easily readable maps of the bus routes embedded in the wall.

Entering the new automatic restrooms will cost a quarter. Inside, patrons will find a spacious facility decked out in shiny steel and fit with a sink, mirror, and toilet. Patrons should be quick about finishing up their business, because the doors open automatically after 15 minutes to prevent loiterers. The bathrooms will be shut off at night to prevent people from living in them, the commissioner of the Department of Transportation, Iris Weinshall, said. The final designs for running the bathrooms aren't finished, but they will have a mechanism to clean themselves, she said.

Ms. Constatinou said the new designs will serve to beautify New York's "streetscape," while keeping the views of the city's buildings unobstructed.

The Department of Transportation could reach a final contract by mid-April, but it needs approval from the design committee before that can happen, Ms. Weinshall said. Cemusa will fund the entire installation and maintenance of the structures, and will have control of the advertising. Over the 20-year contract, Cemusa will pay the city about $1 billion for advertising rights on the shelters, newsstands, and restrooms.