Malcolm Owen
Bicycle-loving Amsterdam has created an underground bike parking garage that looks directly inspired by the design language of the Apple Store.
The Apple Store's modern aesthetic relies on clean lines and lots of wood on display, producing a warm and inviting retail experience. The typical public parking garage is usually the antithesis of Apple, with dirty concrete, dark corners, dim lighting, and a decidedly utilitarian feel.
In Amsterdam, architects seemed to take inspiration from the former to create an impressive bicycle garage to help solve parking issues in the city. Amsterdam Central Station opened up a pair of garages in early 2023, capable of holding thousands of bicycles.
Sebastiaan de WithOne of two new additions to Amsterdam Central, the Ijboulevard bike garage designed by VenhoevenCS, offers neat rows of bicycle racks, inside a large and long underground construction that is dominated by wood panelling. As shown in photographs by Sebastiaan de With, the facility makes use of curved pieces of wood and smart lighting choices.
The designers have seemingly produced a garage that wouldn't look out of place attached to an Apple Store. Furthering the closeness to the Apple Store, there's also a revolving door that is somewhat reminiscent of the circular hydraulic elevator of the Fifth Avenue Apple Store.
Sebastiaan de WithThe theme of the garage is "water" as aspects of the two garages are built underwater. The second garage exchanges the wood in favor of a much cleaner white appearance, but with elements that hint that the facility is under a river, such as porthole-like ceiling decorations.
Sebastiaan de WithDespite the extremely upmarket nature of the garages, they are not expensive to use. Since they are intended as a way to reduce the number of bikes stored on streets and help tidy up the roads while encouraging their use, storing a bike at the garages is free for the first 24 hours.
After the first day, the cost is a very reasonables 1.35 euros ($1.48) per day.
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17 Comments
I think the author has it backwards. The Apple retail design language was strongly influenced by the northern European simplistic design aesthetic. Wood, solid colours, simple shapes.
You might have mentioned the capacity of 4,000 bikes.
I find myself asking how they will keep the floor clean...?
What a great way to drive the use of bicycles for everyday commuting, instead of automobiles. While the Netherlands have always been far ahead of anyone else in bike usage, there's always room to improve. They get a lot of rainy days, so being able to park inside has at least two advantages. You don't get soaked while unlocking your bike, and you don't have to sit on a soaking wet saddle.
Bike use benefits the planet's ecosystem, too. And it benefits people, too, as they get more and more fit and healthy.
It's just too bad that America, which overall is moving in the right direction in some cities, political divisions have created anti-bike sentiment in other cities, creating a hazadous climate for cyclists.
It's only a garage, but making it look stylish and hip worth the extra effort.