NL Architects was commissioned to design a sweet bike pavilion and cafe as part of a resort development they are working on in southern China. And this is what they came up with: given the sweltering temperatures common in the tropics, the Dutch firm decided to give the project an extended roof that would shade visitors. But then they realized it didn't have to be any old hum drum roof, so they designed a curvy, fenced-off velodrome instead!
The Dutch are both bike-mad and safety-conscious, so there’s no need to worry about anyone crashing down the short flight of stairs that leads to the lower level cafe and bike rental facility. A fence lines the interior curve of the oval-shaped urban structure that looks suspiciously like a pagoda!
But for those who merely want to chill in the shade of this sleek curvilinear roof, a breezy cafe down below is just the place, while visitors with an even greater sense of adventure can hire a bicycle and go for a longer ride as well. Unlike many awesome concepts that never leave the drawing board, this fun project, which also encourages greater physical activity, is soon to become a hip and sweaty reality.
Via Bustler
Real velodromes have asymmetrical transitions. In order for the track to effectively deal with the cyclist’s centrifugal force the lead in to the banking is longer than the lead out. It doesn’t look from these graphics that this structure could/would do that.