Department Of Transportation NYC Wrap Rack
Transforming Parking Meters to Bicycle Racks
We were honoured to be commissioned by DOT NYC to design another new bicycle parking solution as part of the continued effort to turn the city into a friendly and safe space for cyclists. The commission was made on the success of the Hoop Rack design and our proven ability to deliver for urban constraints.
The brief for the design was to find a viable way to turn the many newly obsolete vehicle parking meter posts across the city into functional racks for securing bicycles.
Designed By Ian Mahaffy & Maarten De Greeve
Efficiency in installation
We initially explored different methods for mounting a rack to unused parking meter posts (now obsolete). Many ideas looked at larger geometries and ways the existing Hoop Rack could be integrated. We settled upon the Wrap design through prototyping and a testing phase. Efficiency in the installation process was vital in saving costs. The Wrap design enables this as it can be easily slotted over and mounted to the post by one service installer.
Strength and simple production
The design is a single part and formed through a sand-casting process. Strength is provided through the circular shape and triangular cross section.
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: Velo City, Prestel by Gavin Blyth, 2014
