Design
The physical focal point of the Cycle Center is an atrium that introduces the two lower levels of facilities and provides an aesthetic above-ground presence. The atrium, which has been praised by Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Blair Kamin more than once, has a sloping solar paneled roof. The 120 solar panels produce 6.5 percent of the electricity supply required for the climate-controlled building. The Cycle Center has an opaque design, with thin steel frames for its main windows. The interior design uses stainless steel and blond wood, and shade is produced by awnings.
The Cycle Center includes parking for up to 300 bikes, lockers, an Internet station, a cafe, bike rentals, bike repair and private stall showers. During business hours, the facility has 100 spaces set aside for first-come, first-served usage, but after hours the facility is limited to dues-paying members. In addition to the riders, the Chicago Police Lakefront Bicycle Patrol Unit is stationed at the Cycle Center. As the city's high-profile bicycle parking facility, it has served as a demonstration location for efforts to lobby for further bicycle accommodations for the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, League of Illinois Bicyclists, and Illinois Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn.
Read more about this topic: Mc Donald's Cycle Center
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“What but design of darkness to appall?—
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—Robert Frost (1874–1963)
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)