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FUNCTION Before Frills
Page 46
Page 47
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IT is not sufficient, when attacking somebody's views on design, to say that he or she does not appreciate the msthetic balance of any particular object. Each of us has ' different ideas on what is or is not good taste. This applies in particular to the articles which form the background of our daily lives, which, in turn, is conditioned by social and economic factors.
The design of public service vehicles is a case in point. Buses and coaches vary in their appearance from the ascetic to the frankly flamboyant. The latter extremity is found in the bodywork of some Continental and South American constructors and the former in the designs of the Swiss, Swedes, Dutch and British, possibly in that order. Hence, to criticize the products of any bodybuilder by saying they are based on American lines entails no censure at all, the true facts being that the bodybuilder is catering for an extravagant taste, rather than for an austere one: The public that the vehicles in question are to serve is either one which lives cheaply, or whose sense of values and of discipline is less developed than that of other nations. Either economic or social influences are responsible.
Conversely, a people enjoying a high level of cultural life, with a well-developed social conscience, may be expected to favour soberlooking vehicles, in the design of which good proportions, functional furnishings and clean finish will have been studied. Although it is hardly to be expected that everyone will agree with the view, it is nevertheless true that vehicles built to these requirements are frequently attractive and almost always economical to buy and maintain.
It is unnecessary to point out that high standards of living entail high labour costs, manual labour being particularly expensive. Therefore the need for vehicles which are easy to clean, service and maintain is Paramount in these circumstances, and is a consideration which takes precedence over such matters as individual lines, superficial ornament and traditional tendencies.
The long and fruitful history of public road passenger transport in Great Britain militates against a complete realization of this ideal. Tradition, and especially a desire to retain some indication of the individuality of the operator concerned, are powerful forces against which the bus designer striving for economy has to struggle in this country. The current controversy over the frontal appearance of double-deckers is a case in point.
Many people regard the traditional radiator grille as an essential part of the character of the vehicle and the enclosed radiator is treated with suspicion. But the enclosed radiator is cheaper than the external radiator block in a plated shell. It is also easier to clean by mechanical means. Functionally, it is far superior to the conventional shell and grille, because the radiator blind, essential in winter, is concealed, is easier to operate and less liable to wear and tear.
Additionally, the accessibility of the engine, and especially of the radiator filler, is improved, without destroying the symmetry of the radiator, as was necessitated in the post-war Leyland forward-engined designs, for example.
Other external features of buses and coaches are primarily designed to suit functional requirements. For example, where the floor of the vehicle is high", it is unadvisable to employ large-radius curves on the cant panels, because they reduce the height of the side windows to the point where standing passengers enjoy only restricted visibility.
One of the major points a, criticism in the type of touring coach employed in the United States is that as the floor is high and the roof is well curved, the windows are greatly reduced in size, and passengers say that claustrophobia results. It may be argued that glass is both heavy and expensive, that people use buses for travel, and that a view from inside is unimportant.
Nevertheless, citizens of Switzerland, for example, td whom may be ascribed one of the highest national standards of taste, would view with alarm any move to reduce the vast areas of glass found in their urban transport vehicles. In fact, it may be said that this liking of the Swiss for large, symmetrical windows, particularly in their buses, is responsible for the severely square and practical outward lines achieved. Another functional factor which influences the shape Of Swiss buses is the need to provide up to three doors, of which one is double.
The floor is kept as low as possible by mounting the engine vertically at the rear or immediately in front of the off-side rear wheels. The door
way is built as high as possible, making an almost rectangular body shape inevitable in a bus.
, In coaches, the Swiss go to the other extreme by using curved glass panels between the sides and roof. Thus headroom is restricted, but upward visibility is perfect, and external lines are most attractive.
To a lesser degree, the same influences are seen at work in the design of Dutch. German and Swedish vehicles. Here, again, practical requirements dictate_ many features. 'Visibility, particularly for the driver, receives detailed attention. Thin windscreen pillars, windscreens with a reverse rake on the lower portion and wiper blades mounted in the glass, where the effective area wiped is at its greatest, are commonly found. '
In Holland, much use is made of coloured anti-glare panels above the main side windows. These help to cool the interior of a vehicle, which, because of its all-metal construction and absence of cloth or plastic panel lining, may tend to become rather hot in summer.
Smooth panels at the front of the vehicle are another design feature dictated by function. Where the winter snowfall is heavy and prolonged, it is essential that the front of the vhicle shall offer as little purchase as possible to falling snow. The clean lines which are thus produced are undeniably attractive.
But surely, someone will say, the use of welded panels on the sides of Continental vehicles, for example, can hardly be called functional? Panels in which there are no visible joints are all very well, but what happens when they are damaged?
Here the social and economic factors referred to come into the picture. Countries enjoying a high, standard of living pay their drivers well and thus attract a fine class of man, who earns his pay first by acting both as conductor and driver and, secondly, by avoiding accidents, however minor.
In the present state of affairs, Britain occupies a middle position. Functional design is still considered by many to smack too much of austerity; moreover, it eliminates too much traditional detail. British buses, whilst being a product of their environment, are also more adaptable than most.
Whereas the clinically clean Swiss bus would undoubtedly look out of place in a landscape of luxuriant palm-trees, British vehicles nevertheless seem to fit in. They are sober, without being stark, and distinctive without being fanciful. Function comes first, and such frills as are added are kept to the minimum— although not the bare minimum. They are, therefore, equally suitable for the Cheltenhams and Harrogates of the world as they are for the Manchestprs and Swindons. But what would an American Greyhound coach look like in Guildford? A.W.