I was the partner responsible to Kent County Council for the design of a building which would exploit the leftover land following the re-siting of the A2 near Gravesend. The plan was to provide a BMX track and Cycling Hub.
Our building was to be the point of entry into the Cyclo Park.
We designed a building in an invited competition with other architects.
Several alternative layouts were considered but our novel idea was that cyclists and riders would pass through the building so that the ticketing arrangement would be as quick as possible.
There are other elements such as workshops, toilets and shops that were designed as separate buildings to the entrance and placed to give shelter and a sunny congregating area within the park. The buildings were slightly elevated to assist with southern viewing from the café.
A concrete frame was utilised as the construction method to create a high thermal mass with cantilevering solar shield.
The project was conceived in a difficult financial climate and the skill of project manager, Laurence Tricker, employed by KCC in finding suitable funding for the scheme is much to be admired. He then went onto manage the centre and establish its success.
