The presentation for the final of the international architectural competition “Line of Site” held on February 2009 in London:
The line, something simple and at the same time powerful.
It can be border and can divide things…
…it can be connection.
Just such a connection is the LOB. It connects on a higher level with minimum of mass and resources. Four lines, two directions, one bicycle lane.
Before I go in details I want to separate two categories for the possible applications. The first one solves city transportation problems and the second one refers to tourism entertainment and sports.
Let’s begin with the first category. LOB can be a particular bridge. One single segment can pass over a problematic or high-traffic zone, being quite independent of it.
Another obstacle which can be overpassed with the help of LOB are the channels or rivers in urban areas.
The second category is tourism. Special routes can be constructed which pass between remarcable sights of the towns. In this way the tourist can see the town from quite different point of view.
These tourist’s bike lines can also pass over ancient ruins – an opportunity to see the past from above.
LOB can be extreme sport for those who are looking for high adrenaline.
At the end I want to mention that LOB can be experimental installation. For instance it can be a pavilion for the Olympic games or an EXPO, or even for advertising.
And now a more detailed look on the system. The bike moves in a special furrow. It’s stabilized by a security rim, which doesn’t allow the to bend to the left and to the right. The bicyclist fixes the rim to the pipe of the seat by a special locking mechanism. The security belts are fixed on the rim, they can be 2 or 4. There is a system with a spring, which absorbs the dynamic tensions. At the top there is a roller, which is attached to the stabilizing cable.
This is the detail of the furrow in which the wheel moves. Two stretched cables, covered with a flexible material.
I was looking for photos of bicyclists in the Internet and what was my surprise when on the photo I recognized who else but the American President Obama. So, the first word which came to my mind was – CHANGE, which in fact could be a good motto of my project. People need symbols, which to provoke them and make them believe that always there is an alternative in life.
Please secure your bike, fasten your seat belts and prepare to fly…
The finalists
1. George Dimov (ACO) 2. Animish Kudalkar (Finalist) 3. Neven Sidor (Judge) 4. Edward Jones (Chair Judge) 5. Amanda Baillieu (Building Design) 6. Ian Pieterse (Finalist) 7. Anna Grancharova (ACO) 8. Dirk Krolikowski (Judge) 9. Wolf Mangelsdorf (Judge) 10. Matthew Wells (Judge) 11. Martin Angelov (Finalist) 12. David Adar (Finalist) 13. Richard James (Finalist) 14. Stewart Kearney (Finalist) 15. Alastair Parvin (Finalist) 16. Peter Ridgway (ACO, Sponsor)