This project puts “infrastructure”, a term typically reserved for the realm of engineering, within a context of the human-scaled city. Through decades of investment into transportation infrastructure, cycling has been marginalized to painted lines and shoulders. bikeLAB is the first of a family of light-infrastructure models that repurpose two reclaimed shipping containers to enable community members to initiate their own mode of transportation in the city. Free bike maintenance, safety workshops and parts exchanges encourage multi-generational participation, while its location adjacent to the University of Winnipeg and a major bus route encourages bikeLAB to become a neighbourhood hub.

The facility provides secure, lockable storage for cyclists who attend the university, live in the neighbourhood or catch a bus nearby. The space and tools that bikeLAB provides lend support to student initiatives to promote bike culture. It provides a safe meeting place for year-round programming to students, staff and community members.

Built off-site and transported by truck, the 350 sq. ft. installation is made almost entirely of reused or recycled materials. Plywood as an interior finish provides lightness in transport, warmth of character, and flexibility of use. Together with industrial rubber floor, bikeLAB has a durable work environment. Two baseboard heaters are all that are required to temper the interior. With marginal amounts of energy required, the LAB can be equipped with solar power electrical generation at the roof. The two containers are bolted together after delivery so that they can be decoupled and relocated by truck in the future.