Comfort Stop

This bus shelter / public toilet building combination was designed by 1 Plus 2 Architecture in the Tasmanian town of Richmond. The site is primarily used as a local bus stop and drop-off / parking area for tourist coaches. Tourism plays a key role in the local economy and Richmond is widely known for its nineteenth-century Georgian architecture. The architects’ goal was to respect the historic context of the area, but without trying to directly imitate the old. They accomplished this by creating a boxy, simple and restrained design that is consistent with both old Georgian tradition and twenty-first century minimalism. The rectilinear bus pavilions are pitched with corrugated metal roofing and supported by a simple metal frame. The axes of the structures respond to the site’s exit pathways and the streets leading to it. Aesthetically, references are made to Australia’s heritage of farm buildings through material. The etches concrete blocks reference the stonework of local Georgian buildings while the horizontal, oiled eucalypt boards echo the town’s timber building tradition. Well aware of the popular tendency for public facilities being succumbed to vandalism, 1 Plus 2 Architecture safeguarded their design to assure a longer life. They did this by utilizing hardwearing materials, steel fittings and fixtures, concealed cisterns and graffiti-resistant coatings.

- Jeff Isbister

Gatley, Julia. (March 2005). Comfort Stop. Architecture Australia, 94, 2, 70-73.