2012 Newhouse project #2012936 | 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).
One of the things that Curie Metropolitan High School needs is a bike shelter. Many of the students don’t ride their bike to school because they feel that their bike is not safe or because of the weather. One thing that I always hear from other students if that it’s expensive to drive to school or sometimes students are late due to traffic. Another reason why they don’t ride their bike to school is because it is in need of repair. It would be wonderful to have a bike repair service area, which will open jobs for students that choose to work there. All the money earned will go to the school and to any bike program that the school has. Also to make bikers commute more comfortable, we could add lockers. It will be a great facility to use in the summer for the community.
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:
In the beginning when I started collecting information I started brainstorming basic ideas of what goes in a bike shelter. After that I interviewed bike riders and asked them what they would like to see in a bike shelter. Then I started looking for possible locations to have the bike shelter. It was then that I concluded that the bike shelter should be located on the tennis court next to Curie High School. It would be great for students and for the community. Finally, all thatwas needed were the dimensions of the tennis court and to calculate how much of the area would be used.
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.
My work for the Brainstorm Ideas step:
After collecting the information needed to start brainstorming; I started sketching possible designs. Based on the survey conducted at Curie Metropolitan High the student body stated that they would use the bike shelter. Most of the students thought that the bike shelter should be able to fit between 100 and 150 bikes and that the shelter should have a repair shop and a café; they would feel more comfortable if the bike was being watched by the staff at the bike shelter. The bike shelter would also have a check in and check out desk for the students.
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:
After brainstorming possible ideas for the bike shelter; I noticed that there wasn’t an office for the staff members. I was then that I decided to add a few lockers for the staff members and for rental. Do far in the sketch there’s an office and two front desks to check in and check out. I have also divided the bike shelter in three sections. One side for the bike racks, the other for repair shop and the third one for customer service and the café.
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:
For the final designs we have the floor plan, elevations, interior perspectives, site plan, and an aerial perspective of the bike shelter. In the site plan, it gives you a general idea of where the bike shelter is located. It is located east of the school; where the tennis court is. Then we have the floor plan with the dimensions of the bike shelter. In the interior perspectives we have the bike repair service area, an office, a unisex restroom, and the bike rack area. Finally, we have the elevation drawings of the bike shelter of the north, south, east, and west elevation. We also have a aerial perspective image of the bike shelter. Another thing about the bike shelter is that it is slightly larger than a regular bike sheler. The reason is that we have included a bike repair service area.
Comments
Excellent start to the project. Remember to upload the progress of your project periodically under the Developing Solutions tab.
There should be some evidence of work under the Developing Solutions tab. The final grade for this tab will be issued Wednesday, May 2
You need to start uploading your Final Design
Just a friendly reminder, you must upload photos and text for each step of the design process to be eligible for judging in the competition. Good luck!