A central requirement of this bus station was the efficient circulation of buses and safe access for commuters. An added concern was the creation of a comfortable environment for commuters in a warm, humid climate. The White River Bus Station provides reliable and safe daily transport to 22 000 commuters through 240 bus movements. Six bus platforms, each designed to stack three 114-passenger buses, are arranged beneath a raised walkway that separates pedestrian and vehicular movement. Commuters are protected from the harsh Lowveld weather by a series of light steel roofs that vary in height and are supported on slender concrete columns with steel crowns that subtly allude to a treetop canopy. The roof design allows warm air to escape. The building is instantly legible to commuters, limiting the need for signage. The embodied energy of the development was limited by using only local contractors and sub-contractors and locally-sourced building materials.