Specialist designers and makers of timber frame buildings and furniture
call us on 01380 840 819
DISTINTIVE FUNCTIONAL AND SECURE CYCLE HUB PROJECTS
With our vast experience creating sustainable transport solutions for many different needs and locations we are established as The Cycle Hub Specialists. Our designs for safeguarding bicycles and cyclists within purpose built structures, spaces or limited access buildings are stylish, long lasting solutions suited to very specific requirements. We can customise cycle hubs to suit your exact security and user needs and aesthetically include corporate branding and assist with stakeholder consultation as required.
Manbre Wharf Cycle Park a forward thinking Business Building Renovation
Collaborating with commercial building refurbishment specialists, Vernier Ltd, the team at H-B Designs created a new cycle-centric facility for the ARC West London Waterfront Building, Manbre Wharf along the Hammersmith embankment. The distinctive branding of the building and the cycle parking zones is derived from being on the original site of Manbre & Garton Sugar Refinery.
Potted History
The Manbré and Garton Saccharine Works was established in 1876. The founder, Alex Manbre, came to England to scale up his innovative new process of making sugars from potato starch.
The business continued until it was bought by Tate and Lyle in 1976. The sugar works ceased operation in 1979 and the site was redeveloped with the construction of two buildings known as Riverside and Waterfront in the late 1990s.
Current owners, ARC, a company established by Brookfield in 2022, is now redeveloping the campus to support West London’s science and innovation cluster.
https://www.arcgroup.io/west-london/properties/waterfront/
We started working on the configuration and designs in early 2020 when most of the world was learning about how to continue doing business during the global pandemic. During the two-year pandemic hokey cokey, the designs were updated and reconfigured to create the perfect combination of cycle parking for all user types.
The approved design proposal needed to have the landlord's consent, be within the budget and meet the brand ID and corporate identity. The distinct colour zones for the cycle parking are replicated in the corporate branding, masterfully created by Blast Design Ltd https://www.blast.co.uk/manbre-wharf/
A combination of unique H-B Designs secure individual cycle stands; Cycle-Up, Cycle-Corp and Cycle-Corp Lockers plus personnel kit lockers, Folding Bike Lockers, electric bike charging points and a bicycle maintenance station were installed.
Points of Note
Future-proof design and materials
Low maintenance, annual inspections only
DIM - Durable, Identifiable, Moveable
BREEAM Excellent Certification Cycle Hubs at Centre Square, Middlesborough
Seymour Architecture first approached H-B Designs in 2017 to start the specification of best in class Cycle Parking facilities that would contribute to the BREEAM Excellent Certification for the new Ashall Projects development at Centre Square, a 21st-century business destination in the heart of Middleborough.
Director of Ashall Property, Mark Ashall, astutely insisted on building top-spec cycle parking hubs in multiple locations across the development at Centre Square, Middleborough. At the specification stage, C-19 was an absolute unknown but facilitating optimal health and well-being for employees was high on the agenda for business office regeneration. In addition to creating a superior working environment with 3m floor-to-ceiling heights and glazing that provides lots of natural daylight for the ultimate feel-good factor, the business hub is enveloped by a beautifully curated public realm with a wide range of leisure and retail amenities on the doorstep.
With over 70km of cycle routes, cycling is one of Middlesbrough’s biggest sustainable transport success stories. With an ever-expanding network of bicycle and cyclist-friendly infrastructure, it stands to reason that cycling to work would be a desirable transport choice for local employees. Maintaining sustainable credentials for the development, including excellent cycle parking facilities and EPC A-rated buildings, means that business tenants will avoid the cost and disruption associated with implementing changes to energy use targets that the government will require in the future.
“More than somewhere to work, the development will blend together an attractive public realm with exceptional business, leisure and retail outlets. This workplace environment is prescient of future trends, that enriches employees’ well-being and suits their personal working preferences.” Mark Ashall
Enclosed cycle rooms were created within the repurposed substation structures to house H-B Designs Cycle-corp base units with Cycle-corp kit lockers set above each unit. Finished in bespoke colours and installed by our H-B team.
Points of Note
BREEAM Excellent certification
Future-proof design and materials
Low maintenance, annual inspections only
DIM - Durable, Identifiable, Moveable
Prologue Works in Central Bristol commissioned H-B Designs to create the mission critical cycle hub that would be the cycle-centric heart of the newly refurbished 8 floor office building.
A core part of the brief was to make a substantial change to the entire building design to encourage in excess of 30% of staff working at the site to cycle to work by providing a next generation secure cycle parking facility with added benefits.
SWe chose to research the building employees across multiple companies to understand their commuting habits and possible opportunity for change to a more active commute by undertaking:
-
on-site awareness breakfasts
-
attending localised cycle events
-
an online survey with prize draw fund
-
coordinated social media campaign
54% of employees responded giving us key insights into the staff needs and concerns regarding cycling to work. The research delivered specific measurable results to enable long term plans to be made for the building.
We developed a special edition version of the Cycle-Corp & Cycle-Locker to facilitate 57 cyclists. Cycle-lockers are stacked directly on top of the Cycle-Corp units to maximise space and for Prologue Works we have provided fully ventilated air drying lockers to dry any damp commuter gear and offer ample storage for helmet, shoes, jacket etc.
The state of the art cycle hub has 59 cycle parking spaces and 4 electric bike charging points, 2 Brompton Bike Hire Bases, Bike Tool Kit repair and maintenance station, pump and off lock holders.
To ensure best practice cycle hub security, H-B installed CCTV, a Net2 Entry system, slow-close cyclist friendly door and completed a meet and greet hand over for building occupiers.
Points of Note
The building has been assessed by Cycling Score. This certification rates the cycle friendliness of a commercial or residential building and the hub achieved GOLD rating.
Unique colours were used with special finishes to match the Prologue Works new corporate identity.
In addition to providing the full state of the art cycle hub, we provided specialist consultation for the development of the building's staff cycling team. Working with numerous companies from within the building, we developed and managed the cycle team’s involvement and promotion of the new cycling culture by creating a proactive series of training, bike maintenance workshops and cycle sportives, including the Bristol GP.
Prologue Works, Bristol. Award winning Business Cycle Hub
Initially, the brief was for a bespoke enclosed structure with twenty bike parking spaces and individual lockers all designed, manufactured and installed within four weeks. This progressed and consolidated to a cycle shelter that provided secure bike parking for up to 20 cycles with natural light and the smallest possible footprint.
The approved design proposal needed to have planning and landlords consent and be within the budget. This process took 20 months to complete, so the final installation was almost two years after the original brief.
The CURL roof structure is intrinsically strong and provides excellent weather protection. By increasing the structure height, we could accommodate secure two-tier bike parking within a neat shelter and manoeuvring footprint of roughly 22m2
Points of Note
Future-proof design and materials
Low maintenance, annual inspections only
DIM - Durable, Identifiable, Moveable
Designed as a holistic, sustainable transport identity, easily replicable for other sites
SEPA Strathern House, Perth. Business Park Cycle Shelter
Originally seventy three bicycle parking places, a dilapidated taxi shelter and an accompanying 24 bay taxi rank situated amongst Haven Green's Horse Chestnut, Lime and London Plane trees. It is a location of dual identity; to one side green and pleasant, the other a suited and booted gateway to the metropolis.
Following the Biking Borough Final Report in 2010 which concluded that cycling trips in LBE were suppressed at just 1.6% of all journeys and bike theft highest at Ealing Broadway, Ealing Council needed to make much needed improvements to this complex space, yet protect and enhance Haven Green itself. Not only increasing all capacities and functionality for cyclists, pedestrians and taxis but at the same time ensuring residents and businesses around the Green would benefit from the development commercially and domestically without losing any of the location's charm.
Stakeholder consultations with
Local councillors English Heritage
Conservation Area Advisory Panel Ealing BID
Friends of Haven Green Ealing Civic Societ
Network Rail Crossrail
LBE Planning LBE Parks
LBE Legal LTDA
The new Hub is covered by four individual low profile shelters that combined, provide 232sq. m of cover.
Cycle parking provision is increased by 89% overall, this increase is made up of;
106 Cycle-Street ‘Advanced Compact Cycle Parking’ bays
20 ‘Brompton Dock’ folding hire bikes
1 Taxi Shelter complete with WC
24 Bay Taxi Rank stand
Points of Note
Other features of the hub are clear sight lines through the structures to and from the green as required by stakeholders and full CCTV coverage with low energy, curtain, down lighting.
Beyond its immediate service to Cycle-Rail passengers, the Ealing Broadway Cycle Hub is already fulfilling its remit to benefit the wider community. Local Haven Green and nearby green spaces have been re-seeded and landscaped, the Hub provides weather protection for waiting taxi passengers and pedestrians and also houses restroom facilities for taxi and bus drivers. Besides the depth of support from a wide cross-section of the community, the Hub can boast some very tangible successes.
-
Cycle theft levels have dropped 32%*
-
Pedestrian footfall has risen by 20%
-
Cycle Parking increase of 89%
-
Hub cycle parking usage stands at an impressive 88%, an increase of 78%
-
Brompton Dock usage is at 50% and rising
The Haven Green Cycle Hub is an exemplar project for Transport for London, featured in the current TfL Streetscape guidance.
*Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).figs. 2013
Haven Green Cycle Hub, Ealing Broadway, London
Avanta Serviced Office Group. Tenants use cycle hubs, London
To stand out amongst service office providers in the city, Avanta (now Regus Group Companies) invested in converting an underused garage area into a super secure cycle hub for tenants of their serviced office building in Hammersmith. With almost 1,000 clients working at the Lyric Square centre, the decision to install new large secure bikes racks and storage lockers was part of their plan to help promote fitness and reduce carbon emissions.
Tenants had been dragging their bikes through reception and up to their offices which was hazardous and the cause of extra cleaning. Access to the old store room was via the busy main carpark and service vehicle area which was a risk. The space itself was out of level and in need of general renovation and refurbishment. The need for secure access on an alternative official entrance door and also on the internal door connecting the new hub to the serviced office areas was paramount. The space had to provide orderly and effective individual cycle parking with space for users' apparel to be stored with their bikes.
Tenants of the building were invited to try their bicycles in the proposed new cycle racks and a study was completed over a few months to gauge demand and define the final project brief.
A soft close security door was designed and installed at the start of the main service entrance. This unique door incorporated the building's security swipe access system and opened sufficiently wide enough to allow for bike and cyclist manoeuvrability into the new hub with a delayed slow close and automatic locking system. The new secure cycle hub is set upon an elevated floor which is demountable and provides 21 individual cycle parking spaces and associated kit lockers using the Cycle-Corp system.
Points of Note
Other features of this hub are CCTV coverage, low energy down lighting, Cycle-Corp & Cycle-Lockers.
Following the success of the scheme further cycle hubs were commissioned for many other properties in the company portfolio.This included vertical cycle parking and locker system to meet specific BREEAM requirements at Eagle House, tidy Cycle-Corp foyer installations with graphics and signage, car park Haven Racks and building mounted wall anchors.
Parkland Semi-Permanant Cycle Hub. Haven Green, Ealing, London
As projected by the Biking Borough Report, the demand for cycle parking quickly exceeded the 2012 completed Haven Green Cycle Hub's capacity and an additional uncovered facility was required. During the construction phase of the original Haven Cycle Hub, temporary measures were put in for cycle parking. A more permanent, yet dismountable solution was required that met with the Haven Green requirement of not losing further green space and improving the bus waiting areas along the green. The project had to be completed with minimal disruption to the amenity users of Haven Green. Borough Highways and Parks were supportive of the works which included diverting bus stops, closing pavements and diverting footfall traffic.
An additional 110 cycle parking spaces above a robust wearing surface, through which grass grows, was completed in May 2013. The new hub integrates with pedestrians and other modes yet remains harmonious with the Green. The Haven racks, shaped to aid lower frame locking, are made from stainless steel, satin polished tube and complement the style and materials of the covered hub, providing a cohesive scheme for the area in line with the Mayor of London’s remit for building facilities that positively influence public attitudes to cycling.
Points of Note
The shape of the rack is designed to soften its impact on the environment while at the same time functioning as a standard ‘no frills’ hoop type stand effective for securing bikes. The Haven stands are engineered and manufactured to a high standard 50mm diameter tube, 316 grade stainless steel, satin polished. Rack sections interlock with each other to form a continuous run of the box section base rail that runs flush with the finished ground level. Each rack section is secured / held in position via a pre-cast foundation unit. The use of foundation material is very efficient 0.096cu.m per 12 bikes parked as opposed to conventional methods using 0.324cu.m of wet pour concrete for the same number of bikes (70% more efficient). This developed method is clean, fast to install and has been designed to integrate with the growing area and not adversely affect Haven Green itself. Trackpave50 was used beneath the racks with a special sub base to promote grass growth and maintain the green's aesthetic. Integrated Signage and Bin Space; Oak sign and demarcation posts are placed evenly throughout the two runs of stands. These posts inform the public that the area is covered by CCTV and provide instructions on the use of the cycle parking system.
Excellent BREEAM Compliant Cycle Hub, Chancery Lane, London
We were approached by the Bennetts Associates to provide a BREEAM-approved solution for the Secure Cycle parking facility for Commercial City Offices at 40 Chancery Lane, London. They required over eighty individual cycle parking spaces with their unique kit lockers all within a tight basement space.
Working with the project design team to provide a considered, efficient parking solution for this large commercial development involved multiple design configurations to accommodate all the services for the building in the same space, limited access, meeting the BREEAM requirements and ensuring that the scheme installed would be ergonomic and easy for users to enjoy.
The Results
Under a subcontract with Morgan Sindall, we supplied and installed
22 Cycle-Up units
68 Cycle-Corp units
90 Cycle-Lockers
Special Double Height Locker Frames
Bespoke Colour Scheme
Points of Note
The design set very challenging targets for sustainability and achieved significant carbon reductions compared to more typical speculative office developments. The approval of the Cycle Corp bicycle parking configuration under both The Derwent Sustainability Framework and achieving the maximum credits under BREEAM Offices 2008 was critical and was achieved.
We are confident in challenging preconceived ideas for cycle parking and driving the industry forward, pushing BREEAM to evolve and improve also.
Sloping Site School Cycle Hub, Trowbridge Wiltshire
The project was to provide a long-term sustainable bike park facility area for 29 bicycles under cover next to the new school entrance on a sloping asphalt area. The students and teachers needed to be included in the creative, environmental and planning process. The scheme's aim was to develop and stimulate the uptake of safe bike use to and from school.
The specific area set aside for the facility was a sloping asphalt area which required a versatile structure and cycle stand that would readily support many bike sizes without any toppling.
WOODY curved provides 22sq m of covered cycle parking and with neat core foundations drilled into the existing asphalt, disruption was minimised. The ability to customise the structure and cycle parking racks to suit the gradient ensured the solution fitted the site location perfectly. The finished project is very low maintenance and all bikes parked into the system have a dedicated parking slot and locking up point.
Council Community Hubs, Calne, Wiltshire
The aspiration of local people in the Calne Community Area was to promote cycling as a safer, more convenient and realistic alternative to the car for local journeys. This became a significant area of work for Wiltshire Council’s Calne Area Board and the Calne Community Area Partnership. The ‘Make a Stand for Cycling’ project emerged as a part of this work and involved local people in deciding that the Council should provide creative cycle stands that would not only keep their cycles safe but also promote cycling and encourage others to get out of their cars and ‘on their bikes’
The four sites chosen were a local Primary School, a Community Sports Ground, a Secondary School and lastly the local leisure centre. Each site had varying existing spaces with different ground surfaces. The aim was to install identifiable cycle parking in all four sites that would achieve the highest capacity parking possible with the ability to secure individual bikes. The new systems had to be delivered as a turnkey project; consult, supply, project manage and install.
The Calne Community Area Manager (Wiltshire Area Boards) undertook a ballot ‘Make a Stand for Cycling in Calne’ and the results identified the Community’s top four sites for the new WonderWall cycle parking.
A total of 56 new bike parking spaces were provided over the four sites, all four sites have been afforded simple routes to increase their parking capacity as a result of careful pre-project planning.
Points of Note
All four locations had their new bicycle parking and wearing surfaces installed in three days. Each site obtained a cycle parking system with low or zero maintenance.
Bike Bunkers for School 6th Form Pupils
The increase in cars driving to school and subsequent movement of motorised traffic randomly throughout the day necessitated a re-think of how the school could encourage a more sustainable journey for their growing number of independent 6th-form pupils. The staff car park was the most easily accessible place to locate a specific 6th Form Pupil, protected bike bunker.
Working with the head girl & boy of the sixth form to set up a questionnaire and feedback forum for relevant pupils, we were able to develop a scheme that would provide a long-term solution.
An awkward raised area of the staff car park was used to locate two banks of 5 Snug Bike Lockers, surrounded by StrongBoy timber and galvanised steel fencing. This provided secure bike bunkers for 10 bikes. The space in the SNUG allows for storage of cycling apparel and there is sufficient room to stand within the SNUG roof overhang to shelter from inclement weather.
Points of Note
The ability to cope with future demand was provided for with a buddy-up system where a SNUG locker could be shared to then provide secure accommodation for 20 bikes in total.