BIKELAB

UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG BIKELAB
Winnipeg, Manitoba

The University of Winnipeg Student’s Association bikeLAB is the first of a family of light-infrastructure models that re-purpose two reclaimed shipping containers to enable community members to initiate their own mode of transportation in the city. Free bike maintenance, safety workshops and parts exchanges encourage multi-generational participation, while its location adjacent to the University of Winnipeg and a major bus route defines bikeLAB as a neighbourhood hub. It is designed to provide secure, lockable storage for cyclists who either attend the university, work nearby, or catch a bus from here to elsewhere in the city. The student initiative offers training and maintenance support to experienced and novice riders alike.

Built off-site and transported by truck, the 350 sf installation is made almost entirely of reused or recycled materials. Plywood as an interior finish provides lightness in transport, warmth of character, and flexibility of use. The light footprint building strategy uses marginal amounts of energy and can be equipped with solar power electrical generation at the roof combined with passive day-lighting strategies to keep the interiors light and safe. When necessary, bikeLAB can borrow energy from nearby campus buildings. Positioned at the interface of sustainable modes of transportation, bikeLAB is about promoting year-round ridership for public and active transit in Winnipeg, the coldest large city in the world.

Awards:

• 2014 National Urban Design Award - RAIC

• 2014 Prairie Design Award