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IAA Mobility 2021: Velohub - From Parking Spaces to Bike Spaces!

Velohub Design Project doesn't hold back on IAA refusal. Instead, it uses the stage to show what can grow from just two parking spaces - a real utopia with secure bicycle parking, rooftop terrace, neighborhood meeting point, and lockers. Where can you buy that?!

Oops, what's this? How to make two parking spaces usable for people and their stay instead of metal, is demonstrated by the Velohub project at Königsplatz. | Photo: J. Reichel
Oops, what's this? How to make two parking spaces usable for people and their stay instead of metal, is demonstrated by the Velohub project at Königsplatz. | Photo: J. Reichel
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Johannes Reichel

Just before the Königsplatz, one almost gets thrown off the saddle—not because the traffic light is red. What is this?! Finally, a secure, dry bike parking spot! And you don't even need to bring your own lock, Abus has developed something smart for app operation. And what kind of a lounge area is this? It even has lockers. And LED lighting. And a repair station with tools and a pump! As if a UFO had landed. And where does this staircase lead? This can't be: An urban lookout with the best views of the Karolinen Obelisk and the Propylaea. Even landscaped with a mint patch. And all of this fits into the space of two trendy city SUVs?! A utopia. Or maybe not, according to the company designit, a subsidiary of the multinational IT consultancy specialist wipro, - and they took it upon themselves to make it happen.

Reparking - in your mind and on the street

Originating from a Munich project on alternative mobility in the neighborhood with the apt name "Reparking" in the legendary Schwabing, the idea burgeoned of what could be done with the space of car parking spots on the roadside, explains lead designer Dominik Schütz. The cooperative project Velohub now illustrates this concept perfectly. Thanks to the support of metal construction specialist WSM, which is well-versed in the business of bike parking stands and therefore familiar with structures of this kind, a facility was realized in the standard container size of 10 and 20 feet, which offers everything cyclists (and maybe even the city-near districts) could dream of.

What You Want: More Parking Space or More Seating Space

The modular concept can be customized on-site according to your needs: Do you need more terrace or seating areas, or want to create exclusively secure bike storage spaces without an underground garage or bike parking rooms for an apartment community? Everything is possible here. The Meccano-like, scalable, and environmentally friendly painted metal construct is complemented by recycled panels made of AHPE, which are said to be robust and nearly indestructible, according to designer Schütz. Instead of glass surfaces, wooden cladding could also be implemented. And naturally, the roof is adorned with a photovoltaic system, which can be scaled as desired, potentially autonomously supplying power for e-bikes with a battery charging cabinet.

Refusal Doesn't Help: Show Alternatives

And all this at an auto show, a concept that wants to take space away from cars? Seriously now?! At Velohub, Schütz dismisses the notion calmly and doesn’t believe in overly confrontational protest or refusal. Instead, the IAA is seen as a great opportunity to showcase the possibilities of alternative use for car parking spaces and to present it to a broad audience, as stated at the stand. And of course, there is hope for a further push to make the idea "ready for series production," as it would be termed in automotive jargon. Not least, Unternehmer-TUM just around the corner could help here. We are excited to see where the story goes next: Instead of "swords into plowshares," it's now at the end of the auto-centric city era: Parking spaces into bike spaces!

Translated automatically from German.
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