Final Project: Bike Rack Design

Initial sketches of the proposed bike rack design: 

           

     My name is Lauren D. and I am a senior art student at TSU. Being an avid cyclist, I was immediately drawn to the bike rack design challenge. Not only is biking a great form of exercise that promotes a healthy lifestyle, but it also reduces one's carbon footprint by cutting down on harmful vehicular emissions. Since this proposed design is for the TSU campus, I chose to model my bike rack after a Tiger, the school's mascot.  This design is not only a functioning bike rack, but thanks its sleek simplicity, the design also doubles as an attractive art sculpture when not in use. The piece itself measures 9ft x 4ft: the measurements of a full grown adult tiger. 

Proposed location:
Behind TSU arts building

Because of the proximity to the parking lot and main roads, I chose this space by the TSU Elliott building. Because there is an extreme lack of bike parking around this area, I think this unused strip of concrete would be the perfect location for my bike rack design.  Since the design is TSU realted, it could also be placed at several different spots around campus. 

Materials:

2''- square steel tubing- I chose square tubing to maintain a geometric look to the bike rack.
powder coating in royal blue- better than painting because it is weather resistant and will not chip or rust over time. The coating also helps the steel stay at a safe temperature after long exposure to the sun/heat.

Costs:
Materials (tubing, powder coat) and manufacturing: $1,600
Labor: $500
Delivery and Installation: $300

total: $2,400

Making the Model:

First I traced my design onto a 1'' thick foam board:

 

After outlining the shape several times to get the required thickness (about 1/4''), I began the long and painful task of cutting the design out: 

 

this took forever!

Next, I wrapped the foam board in blue tape to achieve the color I wanted. I chose tape because the foam was too jagged and rough to paint over. The tape smoothed out the rough edges. 

Then I glued the shapes to the mount and voila!