BP Helios House- 03.11.07
If you want to talk green… or have the ultimate green fieldtrip ~ who would have thought you’d head to a gas station? Yes, this is the latest green project from BP ~ the Helios House. There are pictures of it in the day around the internet, but the way it looked as we drove by last night was just bizarre to say the least… almost like a disneylandish geary gone wrong? (it reminded me a lot of the plastic ice xmas trees and such at 3rd street promenade)… visually, it certainly makes you stop and think, WTF? as you pass the intersection of Olympic and Robertson.
Conceptually, this is brilliant though… an unique and powerful way to educate, encourage, and demonstrate what you can do when you think green. They have worked in everything from a green roof on the bathroom, farmed wood, motion sensor lights, solar panels, recycled glass in concrete floors, led lighting, recycling bins, and far more (see the site, and charts below for more details). They have even taken over the billboard on both sides, currently reading “a little better… gas station”… complete with the grass motif on the underside of the billboards as well. It really felt a bit like tomorrowland in old school disneyland style. Also great was watching the guys who worked there scrub down every scuff, scratch, smear on any part of the gas station almost immediately…
The bathrooms are lit amazingly… and they even have a garden above them…
The gas pumps are all labeled GOOD, BETTER, BEST… complete with graphic design that feels like a mix of circuit board diagrams and leaves…
At the gas station ~ complete with a very competent and knowledgeable staff… are some great print materials… below is the before shot of the Olympic and Robertson intersection, and with a full breakdown on the flipside of just how green this whole structure is. (click all to view larger)
Additionally there were a series of postcard sized pieces printed on paper which can be soaked, then planted! (its the recycled paper with seeds pressed into it)… these had some pointers on how to help save the world…
More images in the NOTCOT Gallery.
Also for pictures in the day… LAist has some great shots… personally i think its much more dramatic at night ~ but here;s a nice pic of the signage as well.
i went to see this station in la right after it opened- my aunt works for bp and this was one of her main projects as well as the a little better commercials— i really think it is a great way to spread awareness about our environment through gas stations, where it will make people think about the environment as they fill up their gas- guzzling cars.
----- jonny 10.01.09 20:36