For The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO)

Bus Stop Prototypes

Performance Criteria

UltraBarrio team developed performance design criteria for bus stop structures and sites that respond directly to Houston’s hot, humid climate by optimizing landscape, orientation, visibility, and material choices. These strategies naturally reduce heat exposure, improve thermal comfort, and support public health by mitigating extreme temperatures at the pedestrian scale. In a city where high heat, intense sun, and prolonged summers shape daily life, thoughtfully designed bus stops can function as essential climate-responsive infrastructure — providing shade, cooling, and relief for riders while enhancing the performance, usability, and resilience of our public realm.

Building on this framework, the UltraBarrio team is developing and deploying, with the assistance of the structural and fabrication team from Renfrow_Co, a full-scale prototype bus shelter to test and refine these performance-based design criteria in real-world conditions. The prototype will allow for on-site evaluation of thermal comfort, shading effectiveness, material performance, and landscape integration across different times of day and seasons. By measuring how design decisions impact heat reduction and user experience, the project translates research into actionable, replicable solutions that can inform future bus stop design across Houston and other hot-climate cities.