Protecting Bicycles with Innovative Modular Storage Systems

The Palo Alto, California-based company, Bike Arc, was born out of a shared reverence for the bicycle and the environment. The design evolved from the collaborative efforts of celebrated U.S. bicycle advocate Jeff Selzer and Joseph Bellomo, an architect renowned for his leadership in holistic, green design. Bellomo and Selzer worked together on the Palo Alto Bikestation at the Caltrain depot. Bike Arc is patented in both the United States and in Europe.

PRODUCTS:

The concept of the Half Arc stemmed from the need to offer cyclists’ security as well as weather protection for their bicycles. Using the Arc design from the original Bike Arc, the Half Arc once again offers outstanding security in a light, small footprint.

The Umbrella Arc organizes bicycles in a beautiful and efficient manner. It combines the ease of use of the Rac Arc with sculptural organization. It offers an efficient use of space while providing shelter for bicycles in inclement weather. The Umbrella Arc effectively and securely parks 8 bicycles in less than 25 square feet.

The Tube Arc is the flagship of the Arc offerings. Each of the other Arcs was born out of this modular elegant design. The Tube Arc offers exceptional security, ease of use, and complete protection for the bicycle from the elements. The design was conceived to offer flexible, easy-to-install (assembled on site) bicycle parking structures with a “light” approach. The Tube Arc is adaptable from 16 bikes to upwards of 60+ per unit.

The Rac Arc was designed to offer basic, affordable, and attractive bicycle parking. It is a unique design that organizes and honors the bicycle while offering superb security. The design offers a variety of configurations adaptable to commercial and public realms, but is equally effective for use in a single-family home. The Rac Arc can also cantilever over existing or proposed landscaped areas.

The Loop Arc offers simplicity, affordability, and usability. Similar to the rest of the Bike Arc family, it maintains the organization of bicycle parking by providing each bike a designated “parking spot.” As the Loop Arc is two separate pieces, one that supports the front wheel and one that locks to the frame and back wheel, it can be used in a variety of locations and situations including sloped areas or on uneven ground. The Loop Arc works with all different types of bikes (including those with baskets) and no lifting is required.

The Car Arc provides covered shelter for vehicles including electric cars and electric bicycles. The structure is formed from the same curved 1”x3” tubes as the rest of the Arc family, but further extruded to provide enough protection for the entire length of a car. On top of the polycarbonate roof is a layer of solar film, which captures solar energy and converts it into power for the vehicles. The Car Arc is an affordable solution that has the potential to be used in commercial, public, and residential applications and can also be added to an existing car park to provide shelter due to its light load.

The Bus Arc is a further iteration of the Half Arc, generating both a bike storage facility and a waiting area. Recycled resin sheets are rolled and simply attached to the steel ribs, allowing people to sit under protection. An added benefit are the energy inverters, which produce energy that users can plug into while waiting for the bus.

The Ad Arc is a street level barrier screen that has the potential to display a variety of imagery depending upon the use. Each screen is fabricated from galvanized steel flat bars (fixed Ad Arc) or aluminum (removable Ad Arc) framing a transparent polycarbonate printed screen. Each panel can be easily and affordably replaced on a regular basis allowing users to frequently update their display such as a restaurant owner revising a menu or retail products. The size of the seating screen is also flexible, ranging from 2’ to 4’ in length and 3’ to 5’ in height to fit into every application.

The Transit Arc promotes bicycle routes along transit corridors providing safe and continuous bike commute corridors. For example, we believe there is an opportunity for bike connections to exist alongside electrified commuter train corridors with high-speed trains elevated aesthetically beautiful above such as the San Jose to San Francisco new High-Speed Rail and Caltrain.

The House Arc is a modular off-the-grid housing solution where the pieces are shipped (ideally, fabricated locally) to the site and erected by the user or community. The first House Arc prototypes to be built will be on the Big Island of Hawaii; completion is anticipated in 2009. We hope organizations dedicated to finding the most affordable off-the-grid modular housing solutions will consider the House Arc.

They have a FLARE for kinetic movement...

Some of you might know my obsession for the pneumatically actuated installation known as Hyposurface. I can't figure out if it's the flow or limitless functional possibilities that intrigues me more, but I'm fascinated by every color, click and wave.



Recently, a robot junkie peep of mine in San Fransisco pointed me to the water sculptures of William Pye and, for whatever reason, I was reminded more so of the mechanical movement in Hyposurface than the organic, hypnotic movement of Pye's water sculptures.

Call it an obsession with simulated movement, but for whatever reason, I'm more impressed with technological mimicry than its natural brethren. So I decided to go back to the Hyposurface concept and see if there was anything new on the market.

Needless to say, I'm in love with a new piece of technology. Take one part wall curtain, two parts stealth bomber, multiply by peyote and you've got:

FLARE: Kinetic Ambiant Reflection Membrane

FLARE turns the building facade into a penetrable kinetic membrane, breaking with all conventions of the building surface as a static skin. The FLARE system consists of a number of tiltable metal flake bodies supplemented by individually controllable pneumatic cylinders.


Due to the developed pattern, an infinite array of flakes can be mounted on any building or wall surface in a modular system of multiplied FLARE units.

Each metal flake reflects the bright sky or sunlight when in vertical standby position. When the flake is tilted downwards by a computer controlled pneumatic piston, its face is shaded from the sky light and this way appears as a dark pixel.

By reflecting ambient or direct sunlight, the individual flakes of the FLARE system act like pixels formed by natural light. The system is controlled by a computer to form any kind of surface animation. Sensor systems inside and outside the building communicate the buildings activity directly to the FLARE system which acts as the buildings lateral line.

Read more about FLARE Facade HERE.

If there's grass on the roof...

Green roofs, while conceptually and environmentally brilliant, have been plagued with something we are all to familiar with in the Midwest: weight.

In most cases, the majority of existing buildings have the space, but can't afford the load weight. Or often times, the building can afford to hold the roofing system, but would crumble under an additional moisture load. Such added weight is even a problem with on sloping roof systems.

"...green roofs can retain as much as fifty to seventy percent of water that falls onto a roof. Retention varies according to climate. Hutchinson et al reported that a 10 to 12 cm vegetated roof in Portland, Oregon retained 69% of the total rainfall with peak flow reductions of 80% during a 15-month monitoring period. Investigations in East Lansing, Michigan cdompared a gravel roof and a vegetated roof with the mean percent rainfall retention ranging from 48.7% for a gravel roof to 82.8% for a vegetated roof. A similar range was seen on two roofs of different slopes in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Total rainfall retention was 55% for the sloped roof and 63% for the flat roof. Peak flow was reduced by 57% for the sloped roof and 87% for the flat roof." WEBSITE

Poundage-be-damned, green roofing companies are finally beginning to recognize that the existing market is far more available than the future market, and have consequently begun to reduce the load weight in their systems. On company that caught my eye is GreenTech, a Roswell, Georgia based company that specializes in athletic fields, landscpaing systems, golf course systems, and yes, green roof systems.


They're no newcomer to the game, though. In addition to laying claim to New York's largest greenroof and the grass at Wimbledon, GreenTech has found a way to box out the weight and open up the lane to a lighter, newer, more accessible green roof.

***
From their website:

The GreenTech Roof Garden System weighs less than comparable systems for a couple reasons. Forklift and drainage channels displace soil with air. But more importantly, no drainage medium (gravel) is required in the system. This feature works to reduce weight of the system as well as cost of materials and labor.

***

So why is this system able to shed the pounds?

The system has built-in drainage channels that allow the water to flow through the soil into open channels and directly to roof drain outlets. At the same time, each high-density polyethylene module protects the roof surface from root infiltration and damage to the roof membrane. The result is a large planting surface -- with the all-important root depth -- that's more lightweight and flexible than other green roofs. Given the fact that it still discharges the water, some might view the system as less than substantial as other systems, but it needs to be kept in mind that the grey water discharge can be stored for landscape use.

Additionally, the GreenTech allows for almost 40 times the drainage and air flow capacity of conventional drainage systems. Even the drainage channels displace soil, resulting in a 20 to 40% weight reduction. You can even remove the individual sections to replace, repair, or modify the existing system.

But this is what I like most:

The system can be installed in very unlikely places. A back patio loft in the city can suddenly transform into a mini Central Park. You drop the crates, fill with dirt, cover with sod, and finish the edge (simplified, yes, but it is undoubtedly FAR MORE basic than most systems on the market). I like.

Prefabbed modular sectional everything...

After seeing me Dad burn through three drills as he Bob Vila-ed our back yard into a deck lovers paradise, I'm interested to see how a product like this takes off.


Deck work isn't easy. It's hard, laborious lifting and setting that can be made all the more difficult if you're too cheap to buy the beer (i.e. your friends won't help you out). Since we've seen modular carpeting, garage tiles, furniture, storage...why not modular decking?

At about $600 for a 100 square foot room (with you as foreman...free labor!), I'd say that's not a bad price...given you already have an extremely flat surface to work with.

While the modular/prefab/preassemble/sectional craze continues to go bonkers, I can't help but think that a product like this takes something away from the aesthetic of an area/building. Maybe it's because I'm a wood traditionalist, but in my opinion decking, shingles and crown molding lose a lot of artistic integrity when they're prefabbed or mass produced. While definitely easier to construct and maintain, a part of me would stand on that product and say "I'm standing on a modular surface," not "I'm standing on a deck." Does that make sense?

I guess there's just something to be said about the sturdiness and sweat put into a "man deck" with all of the built-in barbeques, flat screen tvs, fire pits, hammocks ($19,500!!!)....I could keep going, but I'm starting to drool.

From their website:

Snapping Deck Tile : a do-it-yourself product designed for the average homeowners. It instantly provides a solid hardwood floor on the patio, balcony, roof top, next to a pool or spa, and also kitchen and bathroom areas in a couple of hours without the hassles of building a deck in the conventional way in multiple days.

Snapping Deck Tile comes with with a plastic base engineered with an intelligent interlocking mechanism, which allows flexibility and variety in use. You can design a unique balcony deck for your apartment, pull it up 6 months later, and create another balcony deck for your next apartment in an hour. Tiles are easily rotated, mixed, and matched to create various patterns. The possibilities are endless.

Rock out with your Samsonite out...

Developed by guitar-loving pilot Fredrik Johansson, this folding guitar now lets your rock the Casbah origami style. It's small enough to fit in your backpack or messenger bag, giving you the chance to swoon women worldwide as you backpack the globe "finding yourself."


Surprisingly, the guitar stays (almost) in tune when it is folded and unfolded. Only slight tuning is needed, much like any guitar. Its airplane-grade machined aluminum neck is also considerably strong, probably stronger than a glue-on or bolt-on neck, giving the guitar some serious stability.

Fancy yourself the next Jimi Hendrix? Well you'll end up having to string it like he did, since no lefty versions are currently available. Good news for lonely bass player though, since plans are already in the works for a collapsible bass.

Prefer the modular surf?

We've definitely come along way since the Idiots, Incorporated episode of Saved by the Bell:

Zack walks into a classroom and informs us that for economics class, they were supposed to come up with an idea for a business...apparently the gang failed to come up with an idea for their business, and now they're merely awaiting their eminent failure...Jessie seems surprisingly calm. Maybe she knows Zack is going to pull an idea out of his ass in the 11th hour. Which is exactly what he does, but first we get to see the ideas the other teams have come up with. After the surfer dudes present their foldable cardboard surfboard, Slater points out the flaws inherent in their prototype. But Mr. Tuttle tells them that if they believe in it, that's all that counts.

Oh Captain, my Captain indeed.

If you haven't ever traveled with a board before, you might not know to expect a $50 -$150 extra over-size charge (per flight segment!) on most airlines, with a bump up in cost specifically given to the toes-on-the-nose longboarders over 7'6"...unless you're flying out of Columbus like I do. In that case, they've never seen a board before and no charge is usually given. However, they've also never handled a surfboard, so bring your ding repair kit.

Why not try the inflatable Uli Board or even the Pope-Bisect Travelboard?

I can't imagine how well the inflatable works, but the Travelboard appears to be built pretty damn solid...compared to a cardboard surfboard...unless you believe in it, of course.

And it doesn't hurt that price has dropped significantly since it was one of Time Magazine's Best Inventions of 2002.

$1800? Ouch. Now, about $900-$950.

More in depth? Try this article from Composites Technology. Pretty cool.

Update:
Foldable hangers? Seems like a lot of extra nonsense for a hanger.
Foldable bike helmet? I like.
Foldable crutches? Make sure they're locked before you walk.
Foldable bookshelf that turns into a bench? I see all my Hemingway First Edition's (see: Playboy's) crashing to the ground. Still neato.
Foldabowl...err...Foldable Bowl? For $22, I'd probably just wash the first bowl.
Foldable Picnic Table? Big with picnic people, but not big picnic people.
Foldable Dinner Set? Blah.
Foldable Plywood? Now we're talking. "...combination of 3-10mm thick plywood and a linen-like material sandwiched in between. The result is much like scored cardboard."
Foldable High Heels? Sexy, then not so much.

Ebbs and flows...

Here's a little something for all you Landscape Architects out there...
There's something about "topographic" modular design that I can't resist. I think it's the overall simplicity. With the ever-expanding development of rapid prototyping technologies, it's easy to look at designs like these and want to recreate them in the home or office. It's a basic, simple construction that calls for the pieces to be cut, then put together like a jigsaw puzzle. Scaled-down, this piece could be easily reproduced in an hour. The problem is I want to build one scaled-up! View the spec sheet.

From the website:

The appearance is a crucial part of the total product. The strong graphical impact of the design draws people attention and makes them want to test the bench. It makes a solid statement in any environment, especially when placed on a lawn where the grass grows into the design and the Topografi (Swedish for topography) merge into the shapes of nature. The painted MDF version allows interior designers and architects to choose any color of the Topografi to optimally integrate its appearance into their project.



Because topography is all the rage! Topo plates!!!

2007 IDEA Awards

The 2006 IDEA awards came in a while back, so I thought I would post a few of my favorites:



Verdi Lawnscaping System

Verdi is a low-maintenance modular landscaping alternative to traditional grass lawns. The pre-seeded interlocking tiles with built-in irrigation practically eliminate the need for high-pollution mowers and inefficient water usage. The entire system is connected to a pump that circulates gray water through the tile network. Modular accessories, such as solar-powered light tiles, shrub planters and path tiles, give Verdi a versatility unavailable to most backyard do-it-yourself enthusiasts. The tiles can be fitted with a variety of inserts, including recycled glass composite, bamboo or molded recycled plastic, to extend the aesthetic possibilities, transforming any space into a beautiful, environmentally sensitive oasis.

Sync Handwashing System

Sync is a no-touch hand cleansing and drying system for public restrooms. Simply hold your hands over the drain and the system does the rest. High-pressure jets spray a mist of ozonated water that sterilizes germs without the need for soap. The fully cyclical airflow dries hands quicker than standard hand dryers. Sync’s large, continuous surfaces make cleanup easy, and since there are no flat surfaces, water doesn’t pool for dirt and bacteria to gather in. The system is also naturally handicap accessible since knobs are not necessary. Among its other benefits are improved restroom traffic flow, reduced water usage and the elimination of disposable hand towels.


Green Air

GREEN AIR is a low-cost, space-efficient air purification system that uses plants to reduce toxins in the air. The wall-mounted ceramic planter contains a small 115 VAC fan that slowly pushes air through the soil to the plant’s roots, a process that breaks down toxins equal to that of 15 regular plants. A conical bottom allows users to easily replace plants without interfering with the fan. GREEN AIR’s organic, twisting form appears to wrap around the plants in an elegant, nurturing manner, and its matte, textured ceramic exterior is a soft contrast to the plant’s dark, glossy foliage. Because over-watering is the number one reason indoor plants die, an ambient temperature sensor, which looks like a droplet of water, changes from blue to brown to indicate when and how much water the plant needs.