Students from Nottingham Trent University (NTU) have designed concepts for Nottingham’s next ‘tram stop of the future’ as part of a collaborative project set by Nottingham Express Transit (NET) and Nottingham City Council.
The interdisciplinary project saw students from NTU’s Civil Engineering and Product Design courses come together to showcase their thoughts on what tram stops could look like in years to come. Each faculty was asked to use their own disciplines to reimagine an existing, unused NET tram stop shell that’s based between the Lace Market and Train Station stops, and work together to feed into the final design, mimicking the professional process.
The stop was initially constructed as a ‘ghost’ tram stop when the network was first built in 2004, with a view towards NET opening it to the public as demand in the area grew, should they wish. With the additional footfall that’s set to come to the area, driven by the Nottingham Broad Marsh Master Plan, it gives the network the opportunity to create a tram stop that can showcase and facilitate the development of the area at a landmark time for the city.
Andrew Conroy, chief operating officer at NET, said: “We love working with the university students as they present such a different way of thinking. This is an invaluable way to drive innovation in our city’s transport system, while the students get their chance to potentially shape the future of our network with their designs.
“This isn’t just a mock task, but rather their insights will play a crucial role in our future plans for the site, which may well see us incorporate some of the elements proposed by the students. It’s an opportunity for the students to make a lasting mark on the city.
“They aren’t restricted in the same way that someone who’s worked in a role for years might be, and hearing their thoughts causes us to challenge the way we think as a business. By combining their fresh ideas with our real-world input, it quickly becomes a melting pot of exciting designs that could really make a great impact at such a crucial time for the city.
“We really value this partnership with NTU, as well as Nottingham City Council, and it’s been brilliant to get to know the students throughout the process – some of whom may be our next network engineering directors and designers of the future, helping to make these concepts become a reality.”
During the first stage of the project, Civil Engineering students were briefed by NET at the tram network’s Wilkinson Street depot. Over the course of eight weeks, they then met with representatives from NET and Nottingham City Council every week to discuss their ideas and gain feedback, before working on their designs in three groups. These three final designs were then presented to representatives of NET, as well as NTU Product Design students, who then further developed one area of the designs in a week-long sprint.
Tom Bradley and Arley Watson-Pill were among two of the Civil Engineering students whose group design was selected by NET and course leaders as hitting the brief successfully.
Tom said: “The opportunity to have the interaction with NET and the Nottingham city Council has made our experience so much better. Every week we have come in with a design and they have given us ideas, or insight into the industry that has helped us take our design to another level, which we weren't able to do in previous years or projects.”
Arley said: “The interdisciplinary element was a great benefit too. As Civil Engineers, we are always looking at the technical side of things, but because we knew that the Product Design students would be working on our ideas next, it helped us to consider things from a different perspective. I’m looking forward to how they will build our idea further, thinking about the aesthetics and the day-to-day interaction from the people who will be using it, rather than how it functions, which is what we’re usually focused on.”
Alongside making the unused tram stop safe, secure and fit for purpose, the students were tasked with incorporating key factors such as sustainability, accessibility and adding social value to the area, while also integrating it with other forms of public transport.
David Russhard, principal lecturer in Civil Engineering, who leads the module, said: “We’ve been working together with NET for a number of years now, but this is the first time we’ve created a project that gives the students both the industry insight and the integration between different disciplines. It helps to give them a really authentic understanding of the real world of work, while studying with us here at university.
“They’ve done a fantastic job, and by taking into account the different areas of expertise that the students from each course brings, it’s helped them to think about their work on a deeper level. It’s really important for us to ensure our students are prepared with the technical understanding as well as the softer skills and wider context of the industry, and being able to offer this is a real strength of our course.”
To find out more about NET, visit https://www.thetram.net/