School Zone

red dot
red dot award: design concept 2007

design:
Woo Seungkyun	Lee Sunghwi

School Zone is a system for illuminating crosswalks near schools, to enhance both children’s understanding of and safety at crosswalks.

The design of public facilities must ensure comfort for the general public and ease of installation. Additionally, the design itself needs to minimise the construction period and allow the facility to be changeable in terms of place.
 

The Pedestrian
School Zone brings an educational experience to the child’s interaction with the crosswalk. Lights on the ground indicate whether they can cross the road or not. The lighting system is based on children’s walking pace.


The Driver
There are speed limits for drivers in school zones. However, not all drivers keep to the rule. Speed humps are incorporated into School Zone to force drivers to slow down.


The Disabled
Universal design has become a crucial factor for all designers to consider in order to avoid excluding users. Public facilities in particular must adhere to universal design principles. The typical height gap between the footpath and roadway is problematic. Sometimes, the height of the footpath is lowered to meet the road edge, but this creates a complicated construction process, and makes the boundary between footpath and road unclear. In School Zone, the footpath is kept at the elevated height throughout, creating a speed hump that will require drivers to slow down.


The Builder