KGP Design Studio shared with us their entry for the Bankside Bikeshed Competition. The competition asked for a modular, portable and secure cycle parking solution in downtown London on behalf of the Better Bankside Business Improvement District (BID). The issue of cycle parking has been high on the agenda of Better Bankside for the last few years. Discussion with member businesses has highlighted the problem of finding space for cycle parking, particularly when premises are leased or in older buildings. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Commercial activity acts as the primary enabling impetus for any urban evolution while the community at large receives many of the benefits. Any successful business strategy contains the means to grow and self-replicate; in business terms, marketing and connecting with the community at large. Pedal Park is the progenitor, through its dual persona, of the task of parking as well as providing the medium for promoting its mission of sustainability to the surrounding community.
Addressing the goals of BBID and the Bankside Urban Forest, Pedal Park literally provides a stage for these goals to incubate and unfold. As Bankside evolves as a vital urban district – attracting tourists and businesses – investment in public space and the supporting urban fabric becomes even more critical. By providing secure bike parking, an activated pedestrian environment, and, equally important, a medium for flexible seating and gathering, Pedal Park offers nearly endless possibilities for creating new and revitalized urban spaces.
From informal seating (possibly paired with a sidewalk café?) to an expanded urban amphitheater which stages pubic events at major destinations, the various forms of Pedal Park will not only serve its intended purpose of bike parking, but will promote cycling culture. Whether by sheer visibility, staging of cycling events, or through random acts of street theatre at these new found urban venues, Pedal Parks will serve as a ubiquitous icon and vital part of Bankside’s urban fabric.
