Creative Quarter Cycle Hub, Curtin University, Perth

ARCHITECT: Coniglio Ainsworth Architects
PROJECT MANAGER: National Projects WA

The Creative Quarter Cycle Hub is a brand-new storage area located within Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia. It can house approximately 200 bikes, has over 100 lockers and includes the university’s first universal access self-contained shower and change rooms. The new area also includes an open rooftop deck above the cycle hub that contains a communal seating area and an all-weather canopy on a lawn area.

Unique Elements
To provide enough storage for 200 bikes and amenities (showers and lockers), the Cycle Hub was designed using a two-tier bicycle stacking system.

Above the amenities and bike storage area is an accessible green space that students and staff can access by the sloping grass roof or through a purpose-built lift to make the area available to all.

To maximize the height of the ceiling within the amenities and bike storage area, the beams for the roof were constructed on top of the structure which presented several challenges when it came to drainage and waterproofing for the green roof above.

Solution
ARDEX were asked to provide a waterproofing and drainage system with a minimum 20-year warranty that would work with the design elements of the structure.
The best option for this type of application was a sheet membrane system incorporating a drainage cell with a geofabric matting over the membrane for the green roof system.

ARDEX WPM 612 TPO waterproofing membrane was recommended as this would provide a fully welded sheet system that could be detailed over the building structure to form a continuous membrane.

To provide drainage and a base for the green roof application ARDEX DRS 18 GC drainage cell with built in geofabric was selected and installed over the membrane. The dimple structure of ARDEX DRS 18 GC effectively captures and transports high water volumes.

The roof beams were also waterproofed with ARDEX WPM 612 TPO membrane and drainage was maintained by installing a series of overflow pipes through the concrete beams, by detailing the membrane into the pipes and over-flashing with a pipe flange.

The project included the application of ARDEX WPM 300 as a moisture barrier for the retaining and perimeter walls around the structure including the lift shaft. The moisture barrier was applied and allowed to dry before the walls were back filled and any sections of wall left exposed to the elements were overcoated using ARDEX WPM 908 UV-stable membrane.

The Curtin Bike Hub was entered in the 2019 Bicycle Architecture Biennale held in Amsterdam and was successfully selected to be part of the exhibition which opened in June.