Today, Berlin based outdoor advertiser and street furniture provider Wall AG welcomed Berlin's Senator for Economy, Technology and Women, Harald Wolf, at the company's production plant in Velten/Brandenburg. The senator's visit was occasioned by the presentation of an innovative street furniture unit for the German capital: the new intelligent passenger waiting shelter AVUS. The waiting shelter combines a timeless, elegant design with a multitude of user-friendly features and key aspects of environment protection. The model was created by Wall AG's research and development unit after extensive analysis and research. The design of the passenger shelter bears the signature of architecture and design agency Staubach + Kuckertz.

In the development of this new type of waiting shelter, three topics were of key importance:

1. Improvement in the quality of public transport/improvement in travel comfort

The new intelligent passenger shelter makes waiting for the bus or tramway not only more comfortable but outright entertaining. The elegant design communicates transparency and lightness, while the heatable waiting bench provides highest seating comfort in the colder season. Like all of Wall AG's street furniture units, the passenger shelter AVUS is handicapped-friendly. The anti-slip paving in the canopied part of the shelter contains tactile marking for the visually impaired. Inlaid wayfinding signs in the floor indicate nearby hospitals or train stations.

The side wall of the waiting shelter is equipped with an integrated service terminal which offers a multitude of functions on its front and back. Here, passengers can not only use Wall AG's well-known bluespot but also recharge their mobile phones via a USB port. With the help of three sensor-buttons, travellers are enabled to retrieve the public transport's time-table and map, as well as a plan of Berlin.

The new intelligent waiting shelter lives up to its name not only by the services and functionalities offered but also regarding environment-friendliness. The power supply for the shelter's electronic equipment is optionally provided by photovoltaic modules installed on the roof. The integrated advertising showcase has been optimized for low power consumption, using special patent-registered reflectors. The use of LED instead of fluorescent tubes for ceiling illumination saves energy and contributes to reducing hazardous waste. The cleaning of the waiting shelter is performed with water only, avoiding any chemical agents.

1. Cost-free Wi-Fi and information terminal for citizens and tourists

The new intelligent waiting shelter AVUS is equipped with a cost-free Wi-Fi connection. Wall AG's bluespot can thus be retrieved free of charge on a cell phone, offering citizens and tourists easy access to all kinds of information on the German capital: nightlife- and cultural events, shops and restaurants, a city map and a finder for municipal facilities. At the same time, the Wi-Fi function enables the display of up-to-date travel information on the passenger's mobile phone. Another innovative feature of the passenger waiting shelter is the so called Berlin-pilot: On the touch of a button, a connection to a call-centre is established. Here, further information on tourist destinations around Berlin, places of interest or the local traffic situation can be obtained. The Berlin-pilot also serves as an emergency button.

1. City Dressing

The back wall of the waiting shelter can be customized individually by means of large-format foils. In this way, municipal events can be effectively promoted, historical dates like, for example, the German Unification Day may be represented in the public space or the cityscape may be shaped with atmospheric seasonal motives. As well, important public figures may be impressively commemorated. Thus, the prototype presented today bears a portrait of the world-famous conductor Herbert von Karajan. As foils are quickly mounted and removed residue-free, the appearance of the street furniture units may conveniently be modified.

Daniel Wall, Chief Executive Officer of Wall AG: "The present street furniture solution is an important step to improve travel comfort and service on the public transport system. At the same time, it offers a solution to the problem of a city-wide, cost-free Wi-Fi network. Not least, it enables the municipality of Berlin to use waiting shelters as media for municipal advertising and image campaigns."

Wall-Group: Key Facts

• International street furniture supplier and outdoor advertiser in six countries and more than 50 cities,
  amongst others Berlin, Budapest, Düsseldorf, Istanbul and Sofia


• Part of international corporation JCDecaux, number 1 outdoor advertiser in Europe and the Asia-Pacific, number 2 in outdoor advertising worldwide


• Innovative street furniture in highest-quality design; 28 different design-lines


• Made to measure solutions provided by in-house research and development unit


• Production, maintenance and cleaning from one single source ensure highest quality standards


• Intelligent outdoor advertising on 65,500 advertising spaces with highest frequencies of exposure, among them 6,724 advertising spaces on means of transportation
  such as tramways, busses, underground trains and trucks


• National and international sales team with 10 sales-offices, providing outstanding marketing expertise


• Marketing-portfolio in Germany: 27 cities, AirportNet, ShoppingNet, Leipzig Central Station, Berlinale Film-Festival,
  bluespot, RollAd on highways, transit advertising in Berlin, including all underground stations


• Turnover 2009: € 102.7 mill.; number of employees: 703