bike rack — ryan karczewski

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+1 (813) 486-1719
karczewskiryan@gmail.com

architecture portfolio

2019
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2020
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2024

biking within the cass corridor / seating + bike rack installation

This dual-function bike rack and seating installation, located outside Craig’s Coffee at Peterboro and Cass in Midtown Detroit, marked a pivotal shift in my practice toward built, public-facing work. Designed to support the high volume of cyclists who gather outside the café during morning rides, the piece operates simultaneously as secure bike storage and informal seating—creating a space to pause, sit, and congregate within the flow of the street.

From concept through fabrication and installation, I led the full process, translating drawings into welded steel construction while navigating site constraints, durability requirements, and real-world coordination. The project deepened my engagement with materiality, tolerances, and structural logic, moving beyond speculative design into executed urban infrastructure.

Situated within a corridor now undergoing modernization and redevelopment, the bike rack was incorporated into the City of Detroit’s broader Peterboro streetscape improvements—positioning the intervention as both grassroots urban gesture and civic infrastructure. More than a rack, it became a small-scale urban node: an object that supports mobility, social interaction, and the everyday choreography of Midtown Detroit.

book + written research study