La Sape-La Societed es ambianceurest personnes elegantes, sometimes translated as the Society for the Advancement of Persons of Elegance-is nearly three decades old. The movement was born across the river in Congo-Brazzaville in the I970s, but it was in Zaire that it really made its mark, moving hand-inhand with the explosion of lingala music onto the international scene.

Fans of rival bands would compete to see who could look cooler, perfecting dance moves that allowed them to show off their socks on the disco floor or display the silk labels on the insides of their jackets. The greatest star of all, Papa Wemba-also known as "le Pape de la Sape"-launched one craze after another with his on-stage appearance

Drawing inspiration from the STM’s newly minted brand signature, “Mouvement collectif,” the design proposal by Leblanc + Turcotte + Spooner offers a modular, scalable solution. Featuring a self-supporting structure, the concept enables the manufacturing of base models, with the possibility of joining several units together to create variable-size configurations that can accommodate larger or smaller numbers of users.

The design features a communications column, which could house various components including dynamic digital displays and backlit advertising posters. An integrated solar power system will ensure lighting of shelters that cannot be connected to the power grid.