The Solar Bike Tree is functional art. Part sculpture, part bike rack, the tree has motion-detected, solar powered lights in the treetop. A “nest” houses the battery and electrical components. Up to 15 bikes can be parked at the tree: 12 in the root “racks” around the base; three more can be hung from the tree trunk. The Solar Bike Tree is sited at Science World, close to the 2010 Olympics Athletes' Village. It sits at the confluence of three major cycle paths, including the city's premiere Central Valley Greenway. The Solar Bike Tree replaces a street lamp at the end of an arc of large trees in planters, becoming one of the “trees” in effect. The round hoops of the tree’s canopy echo the spherical shape of Science World. BC Hydro funded the solar component of the piece and Webster Solar Energy was the solar consultant.

Bike racks typically don't beautify outdoor spaces, they are merely functional and are often seen to just take up space. The Solar Bike Tree turns a bike rack into a work of art, making it cool to ride and park your bike and perhaps more desirable to have a bike rack in front of businesses or in public spaces. By turning a bike rack into a sculpture, we hope to bring more attention to "alternative transportation" in this time of rising fuel costs and peak oil concerns. It also gives bike owners a safer, more theft and vandal-resistant way to securely park their bikes. –Spring Gillard