THE ELECTRIC FUELLING STATION OF THE FUTURE

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Architects: Guess Line Architects/ Andrii Lesiuk, Mykhaylo Kohut, Kateryna Ivashchuk, Sofiia Shkoliar, Eva Bondarenko
Project year: 2021
Location: Canada

After another car signal about the low battery, we used to press on the gas and hastily look around in search of the nearest fueling station.

When you have a long list of things planned for the next couple of hours, the idea of two endless hours of waiting to re-charge the battery in the middle of an empty highway seems like a tedious waste of precious time. On the way to the station, we already imagine ourselves locked in a car with a cup of espresso scrolling a news feed on the social network.

The concept of our Electric Fuelling Station is quite the opposite: the space is tailored first of all, for a person’s need for communication, proper rest and recharge of internal resources. This will directly affect your productivity and well-being throughout the day. You get to an environmentally friendly station, connect the battery of your electric vehicle to the chargeable unit, sit comfortably and take care of yourself.

People used to gather around a hearth to escape the cold and be a member of the community to survive in difficult conditions. This tradition has continued until the time of electric transport, only we meet together simply to satisfy the need for communication. At our "communicative" charging station you can hang out in a cozy courtyard with an electric ball that simulates fireplace and meet other travellers. The large ball is the central core of the space, radiates heat and fills the courtyard with warm light. A smaller ball is located in the area of a wooden playground. Children can enjoy playing in both: the open yard and the play area of the cafe, while parents can have a cup of fragrant coffee in the quiet сafe. There are facilities for visitors of all ages.

Since the structures are modular, the size and filling of the building may vary depending on the number of parking spaces required. Details and structures of the station can be easily folded in place like a puzzle, so it is convenient to arrange it anywhere near the road. The building can be expanded not only in length or width, but also upwards, which makes it possible to arrange a hotel where travelers can stay overnight. The artistic idea consists of glass façade making the structure look light and broad. Nature enters the building and is a part of it, which allows the visitor physically and spiritually escape the daily pressure and to establish their own dialogue with outside world. Cross laminated timber walls of the interior enhance the natural atmosphere and bring a sense calm to the place.

The main building is visually divided into the following parts: a café with a kitchen, a play area, public toilets and a small supermarket with service rooms. In the centre of the composition, there is a spacious area to relax and recharge one’s batteries with sofas and a book-crossing shelf. The surrounding environment blends with the station, highlighting the vastness of the interior space.

Our Electric Fuelling Station is designed as a separate ecological oasis, which adapts to the site without disturbing the balance of the surrounding flora and fauna. It is a new element of the environment which focuses on human needs and acknowledged nature, leaving no traces of consumer civilization.