Individual | School Assignment | Product Development | January 2023 | 4 weeks
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I chose the Knowlton School of Architecture with a specific location I intended to disrupt. There was a barely touched bike rack tucked behind a flower bed at the end of the road near the entrance of Knowlton, but rather than seeing bikes there, they were scattered in different places with scooters just lying on the ground. I originally thought this place must not need
a bike rack, but after talking to a friend who regularly bikes on campus, Knowlton is where they recommended one. So, I inferred that the flower bed hindered the use of the bike rack and instead, I set out to create a relationship between the flower bed and bike rack that visually spoke to the function and setting that could draw in more users and appeal.
My Bike Rack distorts a flower bed and warps the frame to become rows for bikes to slide in. I moved the bike rack from behind the flower bed to incorporate it into it. It would now run parallel to the end of the road, but I did not want to disrupt the walking habits of students, so I created a walkway in between racks.
The reason I made a point to include the flower bed in my design of the bike rack was inspired by landscape architecture and the way they can revitalize old sites. The uneven terrain at the south entrance of Knowlton inspired the curved walls while also acting as a visual cue for a bike.
Enhanced with Vizcom.Ai
Here are the iterations that led me to my bike rack:
