Department Of Transportation NYC Hoop Rack
Supporting urban cycling in NYC
The Hoop Rack is the new standard bicycle rack for the streets of New York City, designed by Ian Mahaffy and Maarten de Greeve for the New York City Department of Transportation.
Over 5000 racks have been installed throughout the city as part of a larger initiative helping transform New York into a friendlier cycling city.
Over 5000 racks have been installed throughout the city as part of a larger initiative helping transform New York into a friendlier cycling city.
A considered life span and material
Creating a design to stand the test of time and survive harsh weather and treatment living on the streets of NYC was critical. The pure form of the circle has inert strength as well as simplicity in being timeless.
We considered that the design should have a permanent look in the urban city environment rather than something that felt temporary or secondary. Material choice and production methods helped achieve this. We also wanted a good fit with other permanent street features such as maintenance hole covers and park benches. We selected cast iron for its strength (tried and tested), character, solidity and the fact that it could be produced locally.
We considered that the design should have a permanent look in the urban city environment rather than something that felt temporary or secondary. Material choice and production methods helped achieve this. We also wanted a good fit with other permanent street features such as maintenance hole covers and park benches. We selected cast iron for its strength (tried and tested), character, solidity and the fact that it could be produced locally.
Working with multiples
We looked at how the design worked alone and in multiple. We felt the soft form and simple circular silhouette had a calm aesthetic when repeated, enabling multiple racks to be placed close without becoming an ‘eye sore’.
Cooper-Hewitt Director, Paul Warwick Thompson
“Mahaffy and DeGreeve have created a bike rack that works beautifully in a variety of contexts: in historic districts and newly built environments. The form of the rack-a wheel-is ‘product semantics’ in motion!
Mahaffy and De Greeve’s design reflects a modern simplicity that will greatly enhance the City’s streetscape. The rack is round with a horizontal crossbar, evoking an abstracted bicycle wheel. Constructed of cast-metal, the design is elegant yet sturdy enough to withstand New York cyclists’ harsh treatment.”
Mahaffy and De Greeve’s design reflects a modern simplicity that will greatly enhance the City’s streetscape. The rack is round with a horizontal crossbar, evoking an abstracted bicycle wheel. Constructed of cast-metal, the design is elegant yet sturdy enough to withstand New York cyclists’ harsh treatment.”
Recognition
Published
Book: 1000 Product Designs, Flexibound, by Eric Chan, 2010
Book: Urban furniture for a new city life, ICI Consultants, By Sophie Barbaux, 2010
Book: Velo City, Prestel by Gavin Blyth, 2014
Exhibited
Why Design Now, National Design Triennial @ Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, NYC, 2010
Permanent collection: Madsonian Museum of Industrial Design, Waitsfield, VT 05673, USA
