BikeBay Design Revealed
Devised by the North Yorkshire Society of Architects in association with RIBA, the idea behind the BikeBay competition was to raise the profile and importance of architecture amongst school children while celebrating the unique experience of Le Tour de France coming to Yorkshire.
Over 600 local primary school pupils submitted designs for a bike rack to be installed in Harrogate, the brief specifying that the design be should durable enough to last a period of ten years. The winning design was to be unveiled in Harrogate’s Tour de France Fan Park on July 4th.
Having been asked to manufacture the winning design, our Sales & Marketing Director, Tim Leigh, was also invited to sit on the judging panel which included representatives from RIBA and local MP, Andrew Jones.
The judges selected a design by 10 year old Will Hunt from Ashville School, whose clever design used the route profile from the first stage of the Tour de France to form the profile of his frame. This undulating shape, echoing the cyclists’ arduous path through the stunning Yorkshire terrain also featured corresponding laser-cut names of the many key locations along the route. Will visited our workshops during the manufacturing process to check on how his design was progressing. Treated as any other client, he was given a tour of our facilities and discussed the relative merits of different materials and processes.
Continued…