‘Hoop’ Wins New York CityRacks Design Competition

New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and Paul Warwick Thompson, Director of the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and Paul White of Transportation Alternatives announced the winners of the CityRacks Design Competition.

The design of Ian Mahaffy and Maarten De Greeve (Bettlelab), based in Copenhagen, Denmark, was selected as the first-place winner in the outdoor competition that attracted over 200 entrants from around the world.  Their design was one of ten prototypes installed and tested at Astor Place since September 30.  DOT intends to use Mahaffy and De Greeve’s design as the new standard bicycle rack installed on New York City’s sidewalks. The jury also recognized second-place winner Andrew Lang and Harry Dobbs of London and third-place winner Ignacio Ciocchini of New York.  Mahaffy and De Greeve will receive a $10,000 prize courtesy of Transportation Alternatives, Dobbs and Lang a $3,000 prize and Ciocchini a $2,000 prize.

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 tire.  Constructed of cast-metal, the design is elegant yet sturdy enough to withstand the harshest street environments.

The Jury also selected two first-place winners in the indoor competition. RSVP Studio of New York imagined a user-friendly system with ceiling mounted bungie-cords and a grooved floor.  Its structural grid provides a secure yet flexible system that could be easily adapted to any building environment.

Jessica Lee and Anthony Lau of London created a system of three modular pieces that could be installed in an unlimited number of combinations to conform to rooms large or small, tall or short.  Both will received a $5,000 prize for their work.

Images: CityRacks Design Competition