HONORABLE MENTION: 2012 Newhouse project #20121119 | school bike shelter

What's the problem here? Getting started on your bike shelter design.

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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).

 

Curie Metropolitan high school is a great school to go to. It has a lot of sports and clubs. One of curies problem is probably the transportation. Student sometimes struggle to get to school because of this. Although there is the cta or you can get driven to school. I attend curie high school and if there was a bike shelter I would bring my bike. There are a lot of students that would probably agree with me.
Curie would be better with a bike shelter. Students can take their bikes from and to school. This can save students money by not having to take public transportations.It would be much easier for the student to get to school earlier because they don’t have to wait on a bus or a train. This can even work for teachers. Some teachers can save gas by taking their bike instead of their car.
Having a bike shelter in curie would make life easier for students and teachers. Curie has a room that is not used. This room can be turned into a bike shelter that everyone can use. Having a bike shelter in curie would make curie high school an even better school.

Comments

You need more sketches. Also your sketches should be under the Brainstorming tab.

Good start. Don't forget to upload the process of your project to the Developing Solutions tab periodically.

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!

How do you Collect Info for this step of the design process?

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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.

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  • 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:

I did a survey that asks the students and staff if they would use the bike shelter if it was there.I did a sketch of a room that is already in curie high school and could be turned into a bike shelter.I took pictures of the room also.The survey also asked if they would like the bike sheler to serve not only students and staff but the community also.The room is currently used for In-school suspension but i think they could move that to another room.

In progress

How do you Brainstorm Ideas for this step of the design process?

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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. 

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  • 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:

bike shelter

How do you Develop Solutions for this step of the design process?

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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.

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  • 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.
  • 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:

I will use the poles that are already in the room and make a wall that will be used to hang up bikes,this will make the bike shelter fit more bikes.

How do you create a Final Design for this step of the design process?

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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:

This bike shelter will include bike racks all around and on a wall that would be created with the poles that are already there.It will include a bike shop that sells locks,bike parts,air pumps,and bikes.There are enough bike racks included for the public and the students and staff of curie high school.