DESIGN NAME: Dwelling Bicycle
PRIMARY FUNCTION: Multifunctional Bicycle
INSPIRATION: In 1940 a young bicyclist from Michigan had the idea of travelling 1200 miles to Boston only with his bike. To do this he attached a capsule of sleeping with a hook, to the back of his bicycle. Inspired from the traveler's history, the project aims to merge those two qualities successfully.
UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Transportation, recreation, racing... Undoubtedly, the variety of functions that a bicycle can perform is impressive. What would happen if some of these were combined and especially when one of them does not belong to its accepted and expected operations? The project aims at a harmonious coexistence of the functions of the bicycle as a means of transportation and accommodation in a single, unified package. The main objectives focus on ensuring the necessary privacy for the character of the vehicle as a place of rest, while maintaining drivability, despite the increased weight compared to a usual bike.
OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: The vehicle is driven in a way that refers to recumbent bicycles in order to maintain a comfortable experience for long distances. When not in motion, the seat and cover can be easily transformed to alter the bicycle's functionality into a place for resting.
PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: March 2012 - March 2013, Volos, Greece
FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY: Vehicle, Mobility and Transportation Design
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PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: Instead of carbon fiber which would be the ideal solution, for budget efficiency, a combination of aluminium and steel elements was used along with weatherproof textiles in the protective cover and the seating.
SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: • Width x Depth x Height : 900 x 2350 x 1600 mm
• Aluminum Wheel Diameter (Front / Rear) : 20/28 inches
• Steel aluminium frame 2 mm thick
• Motion: Rear Left Wheel
• Luggage: 70 liters
• Weight : 37 kg
TAGS: vehicle, mobility, transportation, bicycle, dwelling, aluminium, steel
RESEARCH ABSTRACT: -
CHALLENGE: The biggest challenge was to successfully implement the dwelling function in an harmonious way. A transformable driving / resting seat proved to be the key by lowering the centre of gravity and maintaining drivability of the vehicle in a refined way of cycling that refers to recumbent. A protective cover with a simple process of opening-closing ensures a trouble free transformation from driving to resting state.
ADDED DATE: 2014-02-08 20:38:20
TEAM MEMBERS (5) : Supervision: Zissis Kotionis (University of Thessaly - Department of Architecture), Consultants: Dimitris Korres, Nikolaos Platsas, Metal Parts: Afoi Lazarou, Fabrics: Konstantinos Mpousiakis and Bike Parts: Giorgos Triantaris
IMAGE CREDITS: Dimitrios Spyropoulos, 2013
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