Bike room layout blue Bike room layouts are part of the AIA CES Course offered by The Park and Facilities Catalog

The Park and Facilities Catalog was recently accepted as an AIA CES Approved Provider by the American Institute of Architects for its course "How to Create a Successful, High-Density Bike Room."

american institute of architects"We are very pleased to receive this designation," said Chris Luyet, Vice President and General Manager, "This enables us to help educate architects about best practices regarding bike rooms which are becoming a required and highly-attractive amenity in buildings across America."

Bicycle commuting is booming across America. The League of American Bicyclists estimates the overall number of bicyclists who ride to work grew by 62% from 2000-2013 and 105% in bicycle-friendly communities. Many cities are spending billions on bicycle infrastructure and now require bicycle parking and bike rooms to promote this alternative mode of transportation.

Architects encouraged to register for bike room course

The AIA has created a system where industry experts can provide education to architects to help them keep up with the latest trends, materials, specifications and other subjects relevant to the construction industry.

Architects can earn continuing education credits by attending the course. The courses must be at least one hour in length, educational and non-promotional.

Each course is required to list as least four learning objectives.

For The Park and Facilities Catalog Bike Room Course, those objectives are:

Objective 1: Discuss the increased demand and need from residents and employees for protected and secure indoor bicycle parking as the number of bicycle commuters grows and cities ramp up their spending on bicycle infrastructure to encourage more cyclists.

Objective 2: Learn about how cities are now requiring or increasing the addition of long-term bicycle parking spaces per residential dwelling unit or office floor space.

Objective 3: Learn best practices and tools to design a bike room that maximizes density and provides for secure bike locking strategies.

Objective 4: Examine the key essentials of an effective bike room and how to add amenities to create the ultimate bike room experience for users.

Luyet has several years' experience in the bicycle parking industry and previously founded a bike parking company. He is the co-inventor of the UpLift Bike Dock, a unique bicycle parking rack with staggered wheel troughs designed to park and secure more bicycles per square foot than conventional bicycle racks. Over the years he has worked on bicycle parking solutions with a number of universities and municipalities across the country.

The Park and Facilities Catalog has been a supplier of bicycle parking racks nationwide since 2001 and received a coveted Bicycle Friendly Business Bronze Award by the League of American Bicyclists.

The course is currently listed in the AIA Course CES Directory and the first online webinar is scheduled for 2 pm, on Thurs., March 23 (EST). Luyet is the primary contact and will also present the course at local AIA chapters and online to architects nationwide.

"We encourage architects to attend this course," Luyet said. "We included quite a bit of detail about bike room dimensions, aisle widths, etc. and the amenities that can be added to create an attractive, highly-marketable bike storage area."

For those who are interested, the primary point of contact is Chris Luyet, [email protected] or call 1-800-695-3503, ext. 500. The course number in the AIA Course Directory is AIACES404317. Credit is 1 Learning Unit. You can register by filling out this form. Space for the March 23 webinar is limited to 25. Fill out the form and leave a note in the comments section if you are interested in future dates.

Course description: The objective of this course is to inform participants:

  • About the growing demand from multifamily residents and office workers for secure indoor bicycle parking rooms.
  • How cities are investing millions in improvements to their bicycling infrastructure to reduce pollution, traffic congestion, health care costs and promote sustainability.
  • Why municipalities are now enacting stricter zoning laws requiring bicycle parking spaces in multifamily residences and office buildings.
  • On strategies on how to maximize the capacity of a bike room with limited space
  • How to add the right amenities to make the bike parking area efficient, appealing and highly-marketable.

The AIA has approximately 90,000 members and is one of the leading organizations for architects in the country. Based in Washington, DC., the association offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment and public outreach for the architectural profession.

About The Park and Facilities Catalog:

The Park and Facilities Catalog is headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla. The company is a national manufacturer and provider of commercial bike racks. The selection includes custom bike racks, wave bike racks, U-shaped bike racks, grid bike racks, architectural bicycle parking racks, double-decker bike racks, wall mounted bike racks, low-profile bike racks, bike lockers and bike storage. Products are available in a large array of colors and protective coatings. Also with the company's ParkExpress program, bicycle racks in stock ship in just 3 days.

Since 2001, the company has supplied top quality bike racks to parks, schools, universities, restaurants, stores, malls, shopping centers, multi-family communities across the United States. The company is also a distributor of additional site furnishings such as park benches, picnic tables, trash receptacles, aluminum bleachers and hundreds of other items.

Call 1-800-695-3503 for a free catalog of commercial bike racks and other commercial site furnishings.