[ Héctor Serrano Studio, Miñarro García and Javier Esteban ] Welcome Back bus

Here are some more images of the Welcome Back bus designed by Héctor Serrano Studio, Miñarro García and Javier Esteban, which won second prize in the New Bus For London competition last week. See our previous story for details of the other winners.

Lighting in the entrance platform at the back of the vehicle alerts boarding or alighting passengers when the bus is about to move.

The bus is compact to allow it to navigate narrow streets and to reduce emissions, and has cantilevered seating to make cleaning the floors easy.

Here’s some more information from the designers:

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Miñarro García, Héctor Serrano Studio and Javier Esteban 2nd Prize in the New Bus for London competition, being 1st Aston Martin and Foster + Partners.

The Prize was announced by Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, on Friday 19 of December. The competition, organized by Transport for London, attracted 700 entries from around the world, of which 225 were in the Design Category. The team participated in this category, developing exterior and interior of the whole bus.

About the project

Name of project: Welcome Back
Design by Miñarro García, Héctor Serrano Studio y Javier Esteban

Welcome back represents the evolution of the iconic Routemaster. An innovative vehicle combining the best of the past with the best of now. A unique bus tailored to London. A brand new London classic that retains the much appreciated friendly and warm feeling from the Routemaster. A compact bus for a compact city, the vehicle has a small wheelbase which means it can move easily around London’s narrow streets.

One of the most characteristic features is the diagonal window that celebrates London’s double decker buses by visually externalizing the stairs. To improve safety we have incorporated a lighting system into the floor of the rear entrance platform that informs passengers and vehicles when the bus is about to move. This is a truly sustainable vehicle using a Hybrid Diesel-electric Drive System. Its smaller size also means less weight so less fuel compsumption is required and less exhaust emissions are produced.

About the designers

Miñarro García, Héctor Serrano Studio and Javier Esteban are three design studios from different fields as vehicle design, product, and visual communication. Together they form a multidisciplinary team with broad experience in projects as diverse as the design of several production buses and cars, furniture, electronic appliances, accessories for home and advertising campaigns. They have worked for companies such as Pininfarina, Renault, Ford, Moooi and Roca among others. They have been awarded prestigious awards such as the Peugeot Design Awards and their projects have been exhibited extensively in Museums such as V&A in London and Cooper-Hewit National Design Museum in New York. They set up their offices in London, Barcelona and Valencia after graduating at the Royal College of Art in London.

Judges’ comments:

“A visual reincarnation of the Routemaster but with a very 21st century treatment.”

The judges said: “The compact design from the Héctor Serrano Studio, Miñarro García and Javier Esteban is a visual reincarnation of the Routemaster but with a very 21st century treatment. A hybrid diesel-electric drive-train and regenerative braking system were proposed to keep weight and emissions to a minimum, coupled with a solar-panel roof for top-up energy. We were particularly impressed with the wide doors, stairs and aisles as well as a stop-go lighting system for the rear platform to enhance passenger safety. Other features included indirect roof lighting and cantilever seating for ease of floor cleaning.”

Project Team:
Enrique Miñarro (Miñarro García)
Joaquin García (Miñarro García)
Héctor Serrano (Héctor Serrano Studio)
Rafael Vinader (Héctor Serrano Studio)
Javier Esteban (Javier Esteban)

Special thanks to:
Kepa Casado and Javier León.