Hank Butitta went on to propose a full scale redesign of a yellow school bus which he would buy and repurpose into a living and working environment. And so he bought the bus and began measuring and sketching his ideas. As the bus itself was narrow but long in length, Hank opted to leave one long circulation passage and allow that to be the artery from which everything else would be organized around. In order to maximize the space, everything had to be within easy reach: no off the shelf units or furnishings. 

Every architectural project begins with the program. In this case the allocation and proportions of the space according to function. Since noise, future plumbing and activity happens mostly in the kitchen and restroom, Hank moved them towards the back and kept them adjacent to each other which gave further order to the project working forward through the length of the bus. Another important facet was the use of natural lighting. Since the bus already possessed its default windows, Hankdecided to make them a feature and leave all of them exposed to allow as much natural light in as  possible. This gave the floor plan a very basic layout where the personal activity space is anchored in the back and the rest of the functions are shared between the built in system along the bus and the circulation artery in the center.

On the whole, micro-model dwellings have become a popular pursuit in many cities around the world including New York City where its first micro unit development is set to open in the Upper East Side. As is the case with most micro-units, the space’s square footage was limited. This was overcome through different functionalities, i.e. the sleeping configuration could be folded away to be transformed into a workspace through the built in millwork underneath the windows. Through the use of materials that are both honest and practical, Hank successfully built in seating, sleeping, working surfaces and storage into one system that was at once flexible and usable.

For Hank, the yellow bus was the site and client. He felt that although the idea for the project was not an original premise, its opportunities in past trials had not been explored thoroughly and to their upmost potential. This purchase decision allowed him to take a manageable space and investment and turn it into a full scale prototyping project.  The final product is a well thought out environment that provides users with everything they need to work, play, eat and sleep in one small space.