pedestrian safety bollards
While I was studying architecture at UBC, I took a part-time job at the Design Office of the university's student society, the Alma Mater Society (AMS) of UBC. My role was helping design, draft, and implement work in and around the buildings owned by the AMS. This role was constantly at the service of student clubs, events, and safety.
For this project in particular, I was tasked by my Manager to conduct a precedent study and create preliminary designs for bollards to be installed between a road and a highly trafficked sidewalk next to the main student owned building on campus. The design requirements I was given were to design bollards that were aesthetically fun, easily removable, and functionally resistant bollards.
Setting: Alma Mater Society of UBC Design Office (Part-time professional)
Year: Fall 2020
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, CANADA
Status: Schematic Design Phase Only
Precedents
I set off by gathering precedents of different bollard styles, learning about degrees of ornamentation, range of resistance and approaches to different types of collisions, and the variety of materials.
Because the bollards I was designing had to be removable, I gravitated to designs that were more object-like, and more so temporary. I also began to feel drawn to designs that were colourful, and broke from the typical concrete/steel of more "typical" bollards.
In my precedent study, I discovered a trade off in many bollards between: being light/moveable but requiring storage and maintenance staff to set up; or being fixed, cast in place and more of a permanent element of the urban environment. I also encountered electrically retractable bollards the kind of which are used in government settings, but discarded these as they require mechanical, electrical, and civil work to fully function (and are also incredibly expensive).
To achieve my goal, I started coming up with a vision for a bollard that would sit-in-place, but could be easily operated to switch between an "open" position that would prevent collisions and vehicle traffic, and a "closed" position that would enable utility vehicles through when needed.
The Design
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Sketch I made of a preferred option for the bollard design
My proposed design as sketched above proposed an in-place, manually operable bollard. With a rear hinge, the bollard could be dropped flat for periods when utility vehicles had to enter the area around the AMS building.
In its "open" position, the bollard would be fixed in such a way that has significant resistance to direct impact. Having read about the importance of not only keeping wayward vehicles from entering an area, but also trying to account for the direction of the vehicle after impacting the barrier, I proposed a curved lip for the front of the bollard. This is in an attempt to ensure the direction of the vehicle post-impact is directed into the ground, and not above or to the sides of the bollard, minimizing the risk for nearby pedestrians.
Sketch of the section view
Ultimately this project was considered as a part of a larger mobility strategy across the University, and as thus was put in the scope of the University's traffic department. As I did not continue on this design, I believe that my proposed solution was still in a very preliminary stage. I know it would have evolved far more with more work put into figuring out the details regarding materials, engineering design, as well as a more iteration into key components, such as the operability, consideration for drainage, and review of any code requirements for pedestrian and biker safety. I would have also wanted to go deeper into finding ways to make it viably fun, and playing with colors. However, I believe that as a preliminary approach, it is on the right path to address operability, safety, and ease of use.