Seven eye-catching bus shelters erected in the Austrian village of Krumbach are set to put the rural town of 1,000 residents on the map.

Internationally renowned architects such as Wang Shu, Sou Fujimoto and Smiljan Radic, were invited by Krumbach’s cultural association to design bus stops that would promote tourism and mobility in the rural area, as well as the exchange of ideas across borders.

Architects from Chile, Russia, China, Norway, Spain, Belgium, and Japan worked in collaboration with local architects and craftsmen for over a year to create innovative designs for the BUS:STOP project.

Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto designed a transparent forest of thin, steel rods with a winding staircase for people to climb and enjoy the panoramic views.

Ensamble Studio from Spain was inspired by the local technique used to stack untreated oak planks in drying barns. The architects layered the technique to create a semi-open structure.

Pritzker prize–winners Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu from Hangzhou, China, designed a conical space that resembles a 120 slr folding camera. A window in the rear wall frames the mountains, making for a great picture.

Belgian architects Jan de Vylder, Inge Vinck, and Jo Taillieu of dvvt created a folding triangular homage to Sol Lewitt, referencing the angles of the nearby Alps.

Inspired by the handicraft and traditions of the area, Chilean architect Smiljan Radic created an outdoor “parlor” consisting of a glass pavilion with a coffered black concrete ceiling. Rustic wooden chairs and a birdhouse provide a homely addition to the public space.

Sami Rintala, Dagur Eggertsson, and Vibeke Jenssen from Norway’s Rintala Eggertsson Architects created a bus shelter that doubles as a spectator stand for a neighbouring tennis courts.

Russian architect Alexander Brodsky built a wooden tower on the edge of a plot of land occupied by a single-family house. The structure is open on all sides, so that wind and birds can flow through.

Courtesy World Architecture News and Kultur Krumbach

Architecture & Design Team

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