Culiacán Velodrome

Culiacán, Mexico

Sports Complexes

Architects: BNKR Arquitectura

Location: Culiacán, Mexico

Professional cycling has developed enormously in the State of Sinaloa in the last decade. Several star athletes have brought attention to the sport, fueled by Olympic victories and enthusiastic press. Consequently there is an interest in refurbishing Culiacan´s velodrome, as well as incorporating new policies that favor cycling as a mode of transportation into the city’s 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 spiral of ramps that rises above the Olympic velodrome in Culiacan is an attempt to connect this building, representative of Sinaloa’s competitive aspirations, with its urban context, as 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 above the velodrome as gentle ramps that circle above the existing building. The two main ramps, protected by a 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. The total length of the journey is 3km. It is meant to connect the amateur cycling world with the professional one, generating visibility, public interest, and strengthening both.