City biking can be pretty daunting. After yesterday’s excitement of winning a membership to the Capital Bikeshare program wore off, the anxiety started to set in. I want to use the bike rental service, but I’ve heard horror stories about bikers getting hit by car doors, and getting tickets for riding on the sidewalks.
Then I saw the Dutch studio NL Architect’s design for a biking arena, or velodrome, in a post on Dezeen’s website. Amy Frearson describes the planned track, which sounds like an ideal place to go for a leisurely ride in an urban setting. The proposal, known as the Bicycle Club, will be dual-purposed: It will create a space in the city for bike renters or owners to pedal around, and offer shade for customers dining and shopping in the café and stores below the track. “A protruding roof could be very welcome in this tropical climate,” NL Architects said in the article.
This velodrome, being commissioned by Housing Corporation VANKE, won’t have reserved seating for spectators like the Laoshan Velodrome built for the Beijing Olympics did. But the central staircases will be open for seating if anyone does want to watch the cyclers. London, home to several velodromes, can now add another one to its list. This one was designed by Hopkins Architects for the Olympic Games.
