Maintenance Facilities

“Attention to detail” is the overarching principle that guides the successful design of bus and vehicle maintenance facilities at Wendel. Since these facilities act as the exam, emergency and operating rooms for the transit provider in order for them to safely and efficiently serve the traveling public, all the component parts in these facilities, from the fueling and washing to the overhead doors, to the maintenance bays, shops and parts room, to the heating and ventilating and lighting, must work together seamlessly to maintain the fleet in good health.

 

Wendel’s public transit practice actually began in 1975. Since then, Wendel’s architects and engineers have designed scores of maintenance facilities by not just using their skills as architects and engineers, but also by looking through the eyes of the mechanics, operators and administrators using these facilities. We do this by employing what we call the Wendel Immersion process.

 

The reason we do this immersion process during the programming phase of design is that, while all maintenance facilities may have similar operations and components, no two transit providers operate exactly the same or have the same preferences in layout and equipment. So Wendel staff shadow the maintenance facility staff for several days, in order to learn firsthand the preferred workflow, and what currently does or does not work well in their facility. This results in a customized maintenance facility design that responds to the needs and unique processes of the day-to-day users, while overall still following recognized public transit industry best practices.

 

This attention to detail is also important when selecting a site for a new maintenance facility. Under Dave Duchscherer’s leadership, Wendel pioneered a weighted scoring process for analyzing the suitability of individual sites to accommodate maintenance facilities, which becomes a valuable tool in selecting a preferred site. This process results in giving each site under consideration a weighted numerical score that can be quantified and explained to stakeholders and the general public alike.

 

So whether you need assistance in selecting a site, renovating your current facility, or evaluating the potential of building a new maintenance facility, Wendel has the experience and expertise to partner with you every step of the way.