Architecture

Bicycle Architecture Biennale celebrates the best of cycling-centric design

Bicycle Architecture Biennale celebrates the best of cycling-centric design
Cycling Through Water is a 200-meter bike path that cuts through a pond as part of a larger route network in Limberg, Belgium
Cycling Through Water is a 200-meter bike path that cuts through a pond as part of a larger route network in Limberg, Belgium
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The largest bike parking garage in the world at Utrecht Central Station has room for more than 12,000 bicycles
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The largest bike parking garage in the world at Utrecht Central Station has room for more than 12,000 bicycles
The Upside Down Bridge in Queens, New York, is a concept proposing to use an overturned bridge as a cycleway to connect two distinct neighborhoods
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The Upside Down Bridge in Queens, New York, is a concept proposing to use an overturned bridge as a cycleway to connect two distinct neighborhoods
The Xiamen Bicycle Skyway, which allows cyclists to travel freely along a dedicated 8-km (5-mi) closed pathway above the city’s busy streets below
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The Xiamen Bicycle Skyway, which allows cyclists to travel freely along a dedicated 8-km (5-mi) closed pathway above the city’s busy streets below
"Cycling through the trees" is a a 700-meter-long (2,300-ft) steel cycleway cutting through the greenery in Belgium
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"Cycling through the trees" is a a 700-meter-long (2,300-ft) steel cycleway cutting through the greenery in Belgium
Coffee & Bikes is a bicycle parking facility combined with a coffee shop and repair shop on the TU Delft campus in the Netherlands
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Coffee & Bikes is a bicycle parking facility combined with a coffee shop and repair shop on the TU Delft campus in the Netherlands
The Melkwegbridge works as a connector between the old and the new areas in the Dutch city of Purmerend
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The Melkwegbridge works as a connector between the old and the new areas in the Dutch city of Purmerend
The new white Ölhafen Bridge is a 70-meter (230-ft) cycleway spanning the entrance to an oil terminal harbor in the German city of Raunheim
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The new white Ölhafen Bridge is a 70-meter (230-ft) cycleway spanning the entrance to an oil terminal harbor in the German city of Raunheim
The RheinRing is a circular bridge in Cologne, Germany, connecting two halves of the inner city
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The RheinRing is a circular bridge in Cologne, Germany, connecting two halves of the inner city
Curtin Hub is a bike hub at Australia's Curtin University that promotes cycling to class by offering storage space and cleaning facilities
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Curtin Hub is a bike hub at Australia's Curtin University that promotes cycling to class by offering storage space and cleaning facilities 
Cycling Through Water is a 200-meter bike path that cuts through a pond as part of a larger route network in Limberg, Belgium
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Cycling Through Water is a 200-meter bike path that cuts through a pond as part of a larger route network in Limberg, Belgium
A new bike parking canopy for The Hague Central Station in the Netherlands
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A new bike parking canopy for The Hague Central Station in the Netherlands
New designs for Nørreport Station, Denmark's busiest, call for enough parking space for 2,500 bikes
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New designs for Nørreport Station, Denmark's busiest, call for enough parking space for 2,500 bikes
Radbahn is a mostly covered 9-km (5.6-mi) bike path built underneath the elevated U1 metro line U1 in the heart of Berlin
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Radbahn is a mostly covered 9-km (5.6-mi) bike path built underneath the elevated U1 metro line U1 in the heart of Berlin
A recently redesigned junction connecting one of the historically more difficult links in the city of Barcelona's cycling network
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A recently redesigned junction connecting one of the historically more difficult links in the city of Barcelona's cycling network
The Nelson Street Cycleway in Auckland, New Zealand
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The Nelson Street Cycleway in Auckland, New Zealand
The new white Ölhafen Bridge is a 70-meter (230-ft) cycleway spanning the entrance to an oil terminal harbor in the German city of Raunheim
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The new white Ölhafen Bridge is a 70-meter (230-ft) cycleway spanning the entrance to an oil terminal harbor in the German city of Raunheim
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The benefits of bicycles are significant both for the humans that ride them and the environment they live in, but they're not everybody's cup of tea when it comes to getting around. The Bicycle Architecture Biennale is an annual exhibition that explores how design and architecture can be leveraged to make traveling on two wheels more appealing, driving its message home with an awe-inspiring mix of thoughtfully placed bridges, elevated cycleways and the largest bike parking garage in the world.

"What we saw in the 20th century, was that cities were being planned around increasing and inspiring car use, and what we're seeing now at the Bicycle Architecture Biennale is that we can find other ways of building that inspire more architects, thought leaders, urban planners to really put the bicycle first," says Lee Feldman, co-founder of BYCS, the Amsterdam-based social enterprise behind the Bicycle Architecture Biennale. "And that could inspire drivers to shift from using a car to using a bike."

This, the second year of the Bicycle Architecture Biennale, features 15 projects in all. These were handpicked from designers around the globe for how they demonstrate the benefits of putting bikes first in, which includes promoting healthy lifestyles, cleaner environments and economic benefits. The selection includes 11 finished projects along with four design concepts.

The Xiamen Bicycle Skyway, which allows cyclists to travel freely along a dedicated 8-km (5-mi) closed pathway above the city’s busy streets below
The Xiamen Bicycle Skyway, which allows cyclists to travel freely along a dedicated 8-km (5-mi) closed pathway above the city’s busy streets below

Among the more impressive projects is the completed Xiamen Bicycle Skyway, which allows cyclists to travel freely along a dedicated 8-km (5-mi) closed pathway above the busy city streets below. Connecting five major residential areas and three business centers, the Xiamen Bicycle Skyway is the first suspended bike path in China and the longest aerial bicycle lane in the world, according to architects behind it, Dissing+Weitling.

Equally eye-catching and perhaps even more imaginative is Cycling Through Water, a 200-meter (650-ft) bike path that cuts through a pond as part of a larger route network in Limberg, Belgium. The seemingly submerged stretch of concrete cycleway brings the water surface to eye level on either side. Time magazine named Cycling Through Water one of its Greatest Places in 2018.

And on the more practical side of things is a three-story bicycle parking garage built for Utrecht Central Station by Ector Hoogstad Architecten. Described as the largest bike parking garage in the world with room for more than 12,000 bicycles, the facility allows folks to pedal up to their parking spot, with gently sloping ramps connecting the different levels.

The largest bike parking garage in the world at Utrecht Central Station has room for more than 12,000 bicycles
The largest bike parking garage in the world at Utrecht Central Station has room for more than 12,000 bicycles

This year's Bicycle Architecture Biennale launched in Amsterdam this month and is set for an international tour, with stops planned for Oslo, Rome and Gent. By showcasing the very best of cycling-oriented design in this way, BYCS hopes to inspire new ways of thinking around how we plan cities, and ultimately help drive adoption of cycling as a means of more environmentally friendly transport.

"If we can get to half of all trips by bicycle in the next decade, then we really have a chance to heal this planet," says Feldman.

For a glimpse of all 15 selected projects, jump on into the gallery.

Source: BYCS

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