Sustainable, Comfortable and Secure Mobility
The main mode of transport for Dutch city dwellers - and many country folk, in truth - is the bicycle, partly because the nation has an envious network of cycle paths and related infrastructure that literally make cycling the most convenient and sustainable way to get around.
The area around the central station in Utrecht has developed rapidly in recent years, driven by the importance of this rail hub both to the city and the country as a whole. As part of a broader urban redevelopment project, Ector Hoogstad Architecten designed a bicycle garage with 12,500 spots below a raised square next to the station.
This is not only the largest such structure in the world, but also a superlative example of how infrastructure can be raised from the realms of banal functionality into a welcoming, pleasant environment.
Open 24/7, the access to this bicycle parking lot is via a cycle path that leads into the three-story complex, with digital systems guiding cyclists to the available spaces
and clear signage making it easy to orient within the parking area and then find the desired onward destination: train platforms, bus stops or the city center.
The warm, welcoming and secure feel of the complex owes much to the combination of wood, steel and concrete.
But this infrastructure has more than just a good “feel”: a bicycle workshop and a bike hire facility are both conveniently located inside, plus a staff member is available on each floor to provide additional help as required.
For the lighting project, the first priority was to maximize natural light, with this supplemented as required by recessed LED lights, which were supplied by BEGA in both narrow and wide beam options.
Opting for BEGA products ensures excellent visual comfort for cyclists even at night, dawn and dusk, and improves safety and security when moving around the facility and parking or collecting one’s bike.
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