Műcsarnok is one of the leading institutes of contemporary fine art in Budapest, Hungary. It's located at Heroes' Square, a World Heritage Area built in the 19th century. They organized an open competition for students to design their unique bike racks.
According to the intensive environment, we decided to design a calm but contemporary object that can give some extra comfort to its users besides its original function. The concept is based on the folding of an enlarged museum entrance ticket. The pattern is based on the museum's pattern, which is well-known among visitors.
The folded top part of the bike rack can keep the saddle dry and protect it against theft. It also works as a little desk, which might be helpful when someone arrives with a lot of stuff. To define the proper height of the bike rack, we measured more than a hundred bikes in downtown Budapest. The current height fits 94% of the bikes. It also works as a bike rack for taller bicycles, but it can't protect against rain.
Design: Dóra Máthé, Ágnes Vigh
Client: Műcsarnok / Kunsthalle Budapest (HU)
Constructor: Paczolay Kft.
Photos: Sándor Lilienberg – beamphoto.hu
Project year: 2010-2011
statistics: height of bikes in Budapest downtown (the green ones fits below the little top part)
