Have you ever been to a furniture store where the bookshelves and desks have props on them such as cardboard TV sets and hollow stereo equipment? Well, we used that concept to make mock-ups of the shelving uprights, as well as the front check-out counter and seating areas. This really helped with the spacing of furnishings, and the expected traffic flow inside the bus. Having the customer on hand to offer feedback on these ideas was most helpful.
Here's a view of the front check-out counter in it's cardboard alter-ego. The spacing between the counter and shelf upright was important, as well as the amount of room in front of the counter...There will be lots of children and we didn't want them tripping over each other.
This view shows the counter in its intended position. The seats were also intended to be located as shown in the photo, but it didn't turn out that way. We decided that the seats would crowd the counter and aisle, so we changed the seat idea completely.
This view shows the cardboard mock-up of the original seating idea. The reason for the seating areas at all was to hide the wheelwells (bottom left bump in the floor). This seat design also had changed by the time the bus was finished.
The idea was to make room for as many books as possible, and books of various sizes and shapes. The curved roof was not helpful in this regard, because it limited the height of the shelf units, but it worked out quite well anyway.
BOOKS ON WHEELS...the beginning
