KINESIS 
Chicago BRT iconic stations design
Design Team: Natassa Lianou, Ermis Chalvatzis

Kinesis project, proposes dynamic and iconic light weight structures which land into the city of Chicago and create unique stations for the new BRT network. Since Chicago has a rich architectural and innovative engineering heritage, the BRT stations must consist contemporary statements of Chicago 's on-going evolution. Thus, the design is inspired from the speed and fluidity of contemporary urban life, while it presents a signature statement and brand identity of the BRT operation into Chicago streets.

The structure is consisted from the solid platform/ground, the roof/tensile membrane and the in-between glazing stripe, where these three elements blend together to produce extra features such as seating areas, ticket turnstiles, recycling bins, real-time passenger info display, landscape. Everything is connected and integrated into a unique design language able to represent the high quality of BRT services.

Through the use of tensile membrane, which flows above and around the station, we achieve big-span capacity allowing maximum areas for passengers to be sheltered and protected from weather conditions. Simultaneously, the structure adapts according to each location specifying versioning typologies, while through the re-distribution of the high and low areas, it allows different program configurations.

Simultaneously, the touchdown areas consist proper canvases for advertisement, city-maps, and public art, blending the station with the cultural city life.

The Kinesis project enhances the environmental role of BRT, using recycling materials. PTFE coated-cloth and pre-fabricated concrete are fabricated of-site allowing short installation time, while they can have embedded photovoltaic or piezoelectric cells collecting energy from the sun, the wind or rain pressure or the passengers' movement  and translate it into electricity, transforming the stations into energy-autonomous pavilions.