m²: 61236
Location: Culiacan, Mexico
Team: Emelio Barjau, Angel Rivero, Adrian Aguilar, Francisco Cruz, Diego Eumir, Paul Chavez, Marcell Ibarrola & Jaime Sol
Year: 2012

Professional cycling has developed enormously in the State of Sinaloa, Mexico. International star athletes have brought attention to the sport, fueled by Olympic victories and enthusiastic press. Consequently there is an interest in building Culiacan´s new velodrome, as well as incorporating policies that favor cycling as a mode of transportation into the cities plans for new public spaces.  Our vision channels this newfound enthusiasm for cycling into a single thread that unites a professional sports building with a cycling-oriented park development. Our proposal for a series of spiral ramps that rise around and above the Olympic velodrome in Culiacan is an attempt to connect this building, representative of Sinaloa's competitive aspirations, with its urban context. To counteract this car oriented approach to sport complexes, we envision a complete integration with the riverside park, which it lies adjacent to. Cycling lanes from the park are drawn into the site and begin to spiral up and around the velodrome as gentle ramps that circle above the building. The two main ramps, protected by translucent steel mesh skin, circle up and meet in a single ring at the top creating a continuous path that rises and comes back down.It's length is 3.5km. From inside and out, you can see the public cycling in the skin of the building. From inside the cycling lanes you can enjoy the competitions or events taking place in the velodrome track or the central esplanade. It is meant to connect the amateur cycling world with the professional one, generating visibility, public interest, and strengthening both.