Bicycle Factory Project

[fiest from the window]

BITE YOUR TONGUE!!

[Veloise]

Last night's recon: there is a lot of the building still standing, including the wall labeled GRAND. There's a red MaryAnn and a big ol' dumpster at the south end. And during my 15 minutes on the street, about ten vehicles driving slowly and stopping to look.

The GRAND wall

Warm glow is from ambient lighting to the west. I blued these up quite a bit...the fire is out.

[Veloise]

Pictures up, dragging this to the top.

[tamias6]

Holly Smokes! Talk about complete ruination. Looks like I've got quite a bit of work to do on this as there is not much left of the place.

Pictures up, dragging this to the top.

[dtown]

Might as well doze it and build new, this thing looks about trashed/unsalvagable.

[tamias6]

I wouldn't sign off on that yet. The sketchup file I'm working on is going to integrate the ruins in a new structure in some way, shape, and form. Being that I'm not an architect, if I can pull it off and get good reactions here, then surly an architect can pull off this same stunt.

Might as well doze it and build new, this thing looks about trashed/unsalvagable.

[Veloise]

I wouldn't sign off on that yet. The sketchup file I'm working on is going to integrate the ruins in a new structure in some way, shape, and form. Being that I'm not an architect, if I can pull it off and get good reactions here, then surely an architect can pull off this same stunt.

[jbr12]

Theres a project one of our teachers in school showed us where they took remains similar to whats left of the bicycle factory and incorporated them into a new project... I can't remember for the life of me what or where it was... Maybe golscorer will be able to remember something

[GRDadof3]

Theres a project one of our teachers in school showed us where they took remains similar to whats left of the bicycle factory and incorporated them into a new project... I can't remember for the life of me what or where it was... Maybe golscorer will be able to remember something

[jbr12]

Ha! Thats what we were shown in class!

[dtown]

I wouldn't sign off on that yet. The sketchup file I'm working on is going to integrate the ruins in a new structure in some way, shape, and form. Being that I'm not an architect, if I can pull it off and get good reactions here, then surly an architect can pull off this same stunt.

[tamias6]

It could be more expensive to incorporate the ruins. But depending on how an architect chooses to integrate the ruins, I don't think it would be an astronomical increase as a new structure could be built inside the ruins and the ruins themselves simply fastened to it in much the same way a brick veneer wall is held in place to a stick built house via tie backs. Even though the ruins are obviously in a weaken state thanks to the fire an unable to support any structure, the tie back method would relegate them to serve a purely decorative purpose.

Anyway heres a Shetchup file of my idea for rebuilding on that site if I were the developer.

Main Entrance

Back side of Building featuring Atrium, Garden courtyard enclosed by unaltered ruins (discretely shored up to meet building codes) and a brick paver drive way.

Street scape

The rebuilt bicycle factory would consist of a brand new structure made of steel, cast concrete and over fireproof materials. The ruins of the old building would be incorporated into the new structure by the method I stated above. LEED certification would be attained by efficient mechanicals, roof top gardens, and most importantly the inclusion where ever possible of recycled materials from the property and brought in from outside sources.

Visually, the building would be built in an architectural manner that would retain the raw industrial spirit of the former bicycle factory and surrounding area while including subtle Distructivist Style over tones to blend the integrated ruins and the new structure together into a seamless package.

But, while it would be absolutly awesome to turn this into something like that Minneapolis development, there is a point when it is cheaper to build new. I think this building might be to the point that it historic value will be overshadowed by the high costs to save it, unfortunatly.

[dtown]

Well, i do have to say, that is awesome!

IMO, its your best sketchup yet, its really very cool.

[Veloise]

...

Anyway heres a Shetchup file of my idea for rebuilding on that site if I were the developer.

...

Back side of Building featuring Atrium, Garden courtyard enclosed by unaltered ruins (discretely shored up to meet building codes) and a brick paver drive way.

...

[GRDadof3]

Wow! I think that looks pretty good tamias. I like the incorporation of the "ruins" on the front and around the back garden/patio. I don't think people realize the exposure that you get for the re-use of something like that is worth more buzz than any marketing campaign you could come up with.

[Veloise]

Wow! I think that looks pretty good tamias. I like the incorporation of the "ruins" on the front and around the back garden/patio. I don't think people realize the exposure that you get for the re-use of something like that is worth more buzz than any marketing campaign you could come up with.

[tamias6]

The people are from Sketchup's component library so they should be at correct scale. Unlike modern office and commercial buildings which have 8' - 10' ceilings Very old industrial buildings like the former bicycle factory tend to have very high ceilings up to 15 feet to accommodate for large machinery. Since I've only been though that part of town only a few times before I can only assume that was the case for the scale of the ruins. I sat the model's floor deck spacing with that in mind which is why the stock people seem smaller than normal.

It looks great, but...is your scale off? Or do all those people ride 20" wheel bikes?

Gimme a fire hydrant or the still-existing RR XING sign for reference.

[andrew.w]

I really like the way your design desolves to glass on the corner with the arched windows floating on the wall. I'd like to experiment with what happens if that "ghost building" concept were taken to the extreme for the entire building. You wouldn't mind if I posted an idea in a few days?

[tamias6]

Go ahead. A loss like the bicycle factory fire has got to be a huge blow. We Planeeteers should do what ever we can to inspire the developers to press on by using this thread to throw our ideas of how to rebuild on the table. Who knows? The developers could very well be reading this thread right now. Any other UPer that has sketchup or any image editing program let's see what you've got for the former bicycle factory site.

I really like the way your design desolves to glass on the corner with the arched windows floating on the wall. I'd like to experiment with what happens if that "ghost building" concept were taken to the extreme for the entire building. You wouldn't mind if I posted an idea in a few days?

[Allison Slater]

Tamias, you pretty much accomplished what I had in mind, just a little better. ;o

[GRDadof3]

tamias, the only thing I noticed that would need to be adjusted is that site slopes downhill going from South to North. If you look at this PICTURE, the far left corner is the high spot, and then as you move to the Northeast (front) corner of the building, the first floor is elevated a good 3 - 4' (notice the steps?). So you'll probably have something similar, where your new front door will have steps leading up to it (and a ramp for ADA accessiblity). Otherwise, you could put some of the steps and ramp inside your lobby area and keep the entrance at a little above grade level.

I know, picky picky.

[Veloise]

tamias, the only thing I noticed that would need to be adjusted is that site slopes downhill going from South to North. If you look at this PICTURE, the far left corner is the high spot, and then as you move to the Northeast (front) corner of the building, the first floor is elevated a good 3 - 4' (notice the steps?). So you'll probably have something similar, where your new front door will have steps leading up to it (and a ramp for ADA accessiblity). Otherwise, you could put some of the steps and ramp inside your lobby area and keep the entrance at a little above grade level.

I know, picky picky.

[tamias6]

I realized that from the start but the free version of Sketchup does not have the terrain editing features found in the pro version. Right now 500 bucks for the pro version is a little much to shallow. I could have jerry rigged a terrain but it would have taken about three times longer to do this project. What I can do for now is insert a simple 2-D map on my ground plane to represent steps, ADA ramps, and what not.

tamias, the only thing I noticed that would need to be adjusted is that site slopes downhill going from South to North. If you look at this PICTURE, the far left corner is the high spot, and then as you move to the Northeast (front) corner of the building, the first floor is elevated a good 3 - 4' (notice the steps?). So you'll probably have something similar, where your new front door will have steps leading up to it (and a ramp for ADA accessiblity). Otherwise, you could put some of the steps and ramp inside your lobby area and keep the entrance at a little above grade level.

I know, picky picky.

[GRDadof3]

Au contraire--the site is flat. Looks like it's sloped in my pic, but the street is a pancake and so is the old building vicinity.

[tamias6]

I do see a grade. But to me its very slight - maybe a difference of 2-4 feet from high to low points. I'll leave well enough alone on my model and assume that grade differences can be taken care of from inside the building. After all, I've given my model 15 foot ceilings on the first and second floors to stay in sync with the ruins. So there is allot of room inside the building to stagger the first floor.

Not what this picture shows. I know it's slight, but it's there.

No big deal tamias.