In the dense urban environment of Toronto it is necessary that sustainability become an integrated part of one‘s everyday life. Due to the close proximity to the downtown core from many urban neighborhoods, it is essential that cycling be promoted as an effective method of urban transportation. Not only is it healthy for the rider and the environment, cycling also allows one to appreciate ones urban landscape while becoming an integrated part of it.

The Dupont Cycle Center acts as a piece of urban infrastructure in place to support and promote cycling to individuals of all demographic backgrounds. Situated at the junction of a laneway and Dupont street it is accessible to the cyclists of the neighborhood through their back yards and garages, as well as a main transportation artery. The Center provides many services, from bike parking and maintenance to bicycle design and development, as well as providing classes in bicycle construction and care to interested individuals, and an indoor cycling track. These spaces exist not only to make cycling easier and more accessible, but also to promote and enrich the urban community, which in turn, enriches the city.

The building is designed to maximize its sustainable potential. A large glass facade oriented to the south east allows for passive solar heating. Operable windows throughout this curved facade, as well as clear circulation space allow the building to take advantage of the stack effect and passive cooling. Additional thermal insulation is provided through the use of thermal screens that can be raised and lowered as desired. Curved photovoltaic glass is used for the facade so that solar energy can be harvested.

The building is designed to be circulated via two double helix ramps that allow individuals to circulate from the basement up to the sixth floor. A single programmatic element has been assigned to each level to give the building a simple organizational system. The Dupont Cycle Center was designed from the kinetic human interaction that occurs when one rides a bicycle. As visitors travel around the ramps from floor to floor they cause movement reminiscent of what happens when one peddles a bicycle. Immediately within the building this movement allows operations to continue, but also, in a grander sense, the city moves towards a brighter future for cyclist culture.