In August of last year, the city of Alphen aan den Rijn in the Netherlands opened the Bicycle Apple, a bicycle parking facility with a capacity of 970 bicycles. The Bicycle Apple is located next to the train station which promotes the culture of intermodality which is so prevalent in the Netherlands. Existing bicycle parking near the station, parking more than 4,000 bicycles, had already reached capacity.
Designed by architects, Wytze Patijn & Kuiper Compagnons, the main floor is spiral shaped with the steel work having a diameter of 27.5 meters and a height of 15.5 meters. The ramp on which the bikes are parked, wraps itself in a spiral (apple peel) for a cone-shaped "core" of steel columns.
