Circular Futures Lab

Projects

About

Research

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Climate Design
Warming Planet
Public Sediment
Emerji
Climate Kit

Materials
Eco Materials Library
Woven Hybrid

Active Mobility
San José Mobility Hub 
Austin Electric Drive
BART Mobility Hub
Solar Pump

San Fernando Mobility Hub
San José, CA


Design Consulting for:
San José Department of Transportation &
Metropolitan Transportation Commission

The Solar Mobility Hub design for San Fernando Street was commissioned through the City of San José Department of Transportation as part of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's Regional Mobility Hub Program. Located between 6th and 7th Streets adjacent to San José State University, the project examines how solar-powered mobility infrastructure can support both transportation and everyday public life.

The proposal centers on a compact, off-grid solar structure designed to power essential mobility hub functions within the public right-of-way, including e-bike charging, pedestrian-scale lighting, USB charging, and real-time transit information. The design also incorporates shaded seating, wayfinding, and parklet elements that support multimodal transit users and strengthen connections between different modes of transportation.

Positioned alongside a bus boarding island and connected to bike share and scooter share services, the hub brings together multiple transportation modes within a small urban footprint. Developed as a pilot project, the Solar Mobility Hub investigates how off-grid solar infrastructure can support mobility services and public amenities without requiring new utility connections, reducing both costs and implementation timelines.

The project emerged through a collaborative design process involving public works staff, transit operators, underground utility teams, neighborhood stakeholders, and city agencies whose input informed the hub's location, programming, and integration into the surrounding streetscape.






























Eco Materials Library



Team


Beth Ferguson, Emma Smith, Eldy Lazaro

Exhibitions  & New Libraries


Atlas Institute, CU Boulder, 2025 (library) 
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, 2025 (library)
Pioneering Bio Materials, California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA, 2025 (exhibition) 
Exploratorium,  San Francisco, CA, 2025 (exhibition) 

Best Paper Award, 2024
International Symposium on Academic Makerspaces University of Sheffield, United Kingdom

Poster, 2023
Environmental Design Research Association 
UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico
The Eco Materials Library at the Cruess Hall Makerspace at the UC Davis Department of Design is a collaborative project created to increase awareness around sustainable materials and digital fabrication. The Library has a public wall display with a grid system of moveable dowels and shelves for students to feature materials and prototypes. The project has a custom label system that features categories such as fugal, animal-based, mineral, microbial, plant-based, and recycled materials. The labels have icons that inform students if the material can be composited, locally sourced, laser cut, or recycled. 
Makerspace, Department of Design, UC Davis
Makerspace, Department of Design, UC Davis
Pioneering Bionmaterials Exhibition
Pioneering Bionmaterials Exhibition
Pioneering Bionmaterials Exhibition
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts Residency and new Materials Library  

© Beth Ferguson, 2026