The Miracle Cure
Neighborhood Bike Shop and Bar | Master's Thesis 2020
There’s a gas station at the corner of a street, in the center of a small town, off a road that will lead you to the mountains. It’s not large by any means, matching the other one-story shops around it, humbled by the picturesque farms and rising landforms. The better part of an entire century speaks through the brick walls, forgotten pumps, and lawless additions. But it is a hollow shell, void of purpose, longing to see a resurrection.
Through this adaptive reuse project in Hygiene, Colorado, the gas station is envisioned as a neighborhood hub, servicing the local bicycle culture and serving many of the craft brews that come from the surrounding area. The design pulls from more than 100 years of local history to compose a researched-based solution for the abandoned historic gas station, reintegrating it into the fabric of the community. Design theory, historic precedence, and local knowledge culminate to create a place that poetically intertwines local values with contemporary architectural language.
Map of Colorado
Map of Front Range
Context of Hygiene
Overhead of Gas Station
an atmosphere
A dark haired man sits at the edge of the worn wooden bar top, grasping a freshly emptied glass, wetting his hands on the condensation that’s gathered along the sides.
The other side of the room glows with the music of a local band, who have more enthusiasm than talent, a wall of tools and bike parts as their back drop with well nursed drinks scattered amongst the cords and instruments.
The bar keep moves at his own pace, checking up on those subscribed to his concoctions and the delicate desserts of the woman across the street. He’s in his element, juggling bottles without reading labels, bantering politely with those who care for a bout.
What a lovely thing it is to know your neighbors.
a concept
Conceptual development pointed toward three directions: The Death of the Car, The Cult of the Cycle, and the Miracle Cure.
With the gas station abandoned, what does that mean about for the future of cars?
Is it a celebration? Is it a funeral?
Where is its place in history and how should the intervention start?
Visual language, material investigation, and historic precedent all played into the research of each of these questions and notions.
the development
the plan
1) Bicycle Workshop
2) Retail Space
3) Unisex Restrooms
4) Interior Seating
5) Bar
6) Shared Office
7) Mechanical
8) Dry Storage
9) Walk-in refrigerator
10) Front Patio
11) Back Patio
2) Retail Space
3) Unisex Restrooms
4) Interior Seating
5) Bar
6) Shared Office
7) Mechanical
8) Dry Storage
9) Walk-in refrigerator
10) Front Patio
11) Back Patio
the materials
the bar side
the bike side
the outside
