2012 Newhouse project #2012294 | school bike shelter
- Overview
- Collect Info Completed
- Brainstorm Ideas Completed
- Develop Solutions Completed
- Final Design Completed
Welcome Chicago Public High School students!
These are the instructions for entering a project in Division 6 for the 2012 Newhouse Architecture Competition.
Bike racks and bike rider amenities are given little attention when schools are planned, and bike riders have little infrastructure support for their choice to ride to work or school.
In order to support healthy lifestyles we are asking you to design a bike shelter that will provide safe and secure storage, protection from Chicago weather (year around), and some amenities that would be helpful for bike riders to have when they reach school.
The project will either replace your existing bike storage area OR you can find a new location that would better serve the school. You must identify and justify the new location (eg. - visibility is better, or there is more room to maneuver).
Check out the video below to get inspiration:
Bike Shelter Narrative
I chose the bike shelter because I want to make the experience much different than it is now. I am trying to make the bike shelter for the community. The bike shelter will be located in Curie Metro High’s vacant metal shop. The vacant metal shop would be the most appropriate place I believe to place the bike shelter. Showers and snacks will be placed inside the building shelter to keep bikers clean, healthy, and secure. Some bike racks will be placed outside for riders to evacuate the school faster. Just in case a few racks are placed inside the building to prevent the bikes from being damaged from bad weather. The bike shelter will hold around 20-30 bikes, and will be open to all students.
In the Collect Info step of the design process, you try to gather as much information as possible about your school's existing bike storage facilities, along with the students and staff who will use it. You can't propose new solutions until you figure out and document what the existing problems are.
Try This
- Do a site visit of your bicycle parking facilities and make notes, sketches, and take photographs. Note conditions that are unsafe, unsecure, or that are less than ideal.
- Look at other schools or public facilities to determine good / bad examples of how bikes are stored and if anything is done to accommodate riders needs when they get off their bike.
- Interview bike users and ask them what they would like to have in a bike shelter at their school or place of work.
- Calculate the number of bikes that park over a week, also inquire if bikes are registered with the main office and if so how many are registered with the school.
- Do an analysis at different times of the day and week and create an analysis with average usage and high / low points. Also determine if there are more bikes at the beginning of the week or end of the week.
- Measure and draw the existing bike parking area and locate and note existing structures such as fencing, bike rack (notate the type and material), show the size of a bike and its clearances on the plan. Include dimensions.
My work for the Collect Information step:
The bikes have no shelter from precipitation which occurs all throughout the year. No security is present to guard the bike racks. The bike racks are rusty because of the lack of shelter. No lockers or showers or bike repair shop is available for bicyclist. We only have about 5 bike racks at our school.
Energy drinks and snacks may be purchased by the main gymnasium near the east (Archer) doors near the bike racks. Also, showers and changing areas are available in the locker room (directly above the gym), which is little to no commute for the students, but others will have a hard time showering. Parks like Millennium Park has lockers, showers, bike repair shop and is energy efficient. 6.5% of the facilities electrical requirements are met with using solar technology in the photovoltaic system.
On average I spotted approximately 15 people using bikes near the CTA train stop and near Curie High school grounds within a 5 day period (March 19-23).
We use a “U rack”/ “staple rack” in the back of the school, because it takes up little to no room from the students. The bike racks are used most often in the Fall, Spring, and Summer seasons. After school sports activities are held near the bike racks after school, and many people in after school clubs and sports teams are bicyclist. The bike racks are used after school (2:25, 3:15, 4:05), during rush hour, and before school (7:00-7:30). Bike usage decreased on Friday March 23 at the end of the week. On Friday the temperature was only 63 degrees. Monday through Thursday the temperature range was 79-86 degrees (way above the history average of 49 degrees.) This warm temperature possibly encouraged bicyclist to ride their bikes instead of taking public transportation.
At Curie we have 5 metal inverted U racks which are each 23-inches wide. The inverted U racks take up hardly any space.
In progress
In the Brainstorm Ideas step of the design process, you put some early ideas down on paper that show what you've found in the Collect Info step.
Try This
- As you are observing and making notes think about how your bike shelter is taking shape. Make side notes of where new elements may go or how you would change what is currently in place.
- Take note of unsafe conditions or conditions that do not make sense (For example, bicycles sticking out into a sidewalk or people having difficulty parking their bikes).
- Sit and study photographs of your site visit. If you can print and write comments of what you remember and note where you might change things and how.
Test
My work for the Brainstorm Ideas step:
I made a bubble diagram of everything I wanted to put inside the bike shelter. Vending machines and a security office are some things I want to place inside the bike shelter. I also mae two sketches of the bike shelter, but I think I may not go this route.
In the Develop Solutions step, your rough ideas come together with drawings and models that can show others your solutions for a new bike shelter.
Try This
- Try out different ideas and save each “version”. You do not want to lose a good idea later! Other people viewing your project - other students around the country, your teacher, and mentors - want to see how your ideas have changed over time. This means that while you're working on your digital model, you’ll want to be sure to keep re-saving it with a new file name every few days as you work through the steps.
- Make a list of your ideas and associated sketches, or practice models. For your final upload you will want to write a short but effective paragraph of your process and what you found. This will inform the direction you will take for the final solution.
- Show your ideas to your teacher and peers for some feedback. You can also review your progress with the test group you may have interviewed and test whether your design would meet their needs or address their concerns. Learn from the feedback you receive and incorporate into your final design solution.
- Be sure to check out and make comments on other student bike shelter projects. Post a link to your project on your Facebook account.
- Review your design and test it against your own observations and review that it has met the project requirements. Did it meet the expectations of the end users that you spoke to?
- Do not leave work for the last minute! Going through a detailed design process requires time to gather information, develop ideas, and make improvements. This is difficult or impossible if you try to pull everything together a week before your project is due. Projects that are researched, developed, and well executed will always stand out!
My work for the Develop Solutions step:
There were many possible things I could do to fix the many problems of the bike shelter.
The final step of the design process is to create more finished drawings that illustrate your ideas to others. Remember, your explanation text, and the types of drawings, images, and models you share need to tell the whole story of your project to someone who may or may not have ever visited your school.
Be sure that you understand and meet all schedule deadlines and project data submission requirements.
The Newhouse Competition judges will be evaluating your design project on:
- The creativity of the final solution.
- If you have included all studies, observations, data, and calculations utilized for determining capacities, design considerations, and scale of final project.
- How well you showed the design process through sketches, notes, pictures, etc.
- How well your projects incorporates the following components:
Secure bike storage using common bike parking structures (bike racks), or some type of creative structure that is an “improvement” to what is currently installed and utilized at the school.
Shelter from the weather – it can be enclosed or partially enclosed.
Basic amenities: clean up or private shower facilities, personal lockers, small food kiosk or beverage bar, considerations for self performing bike maintenance, bike storage, information board(s).
Consideration for use at all hours and seasons.
My work for the Final Design step:
Here are the final floos. Also, included are some interior shots and elevations of the building.
Comments
It appears, you ignored my previous comments. Where are the pictures? This is not in the proper sequence and its incomplete.
No evidence of work under the Developing Solutions tab. You must periodically update your drawings.
There is nothing here. No evidence of your project. This tab was due today. Have you been reading my comments?