The Changing Perception Of Parking

The Changing Perception of Parking

Michelle Wendler, AIA Watry Design, Inc.

Southwest Parking Association

September 30, 2009

Overview

• Historical Perception of the Design Characteristics of Parking Structures

– Negative Perception of Parking Facilities

• New Trends in Parking Structure Design– Parking Structures as Buildings

• Case Studies• Concluding Remarks• Questions

Historical Perception of the Design Characteristics of

Parking Structures• Utilitarian Function/Minimalist Design• Vehicle Storage• Less Architecture to Save Money• Disrupt Urban Fabric• Dark and Uninviting Inside• Passive Security Issues• Stand-Alone Parking Structures Most

Common• Plain, Rectilinear, Grey• Building Elements Relate to Vehicle Scale

Historical Perception of the Design Characteristics of

Parking Structures

Recognizing Trends in the Design of Parking Structures

Parking Professional Magazine

Trends in Parking Design• Sculptural Design• Playful Façades• Public Art• Parking Structures that Respect Traditional

Context• Screening with Mesh, Glass or “Greenscreen”• Mixed-Use

– Building Elements Relate to Pedestrian Scale– Contribute to Urban Fabric– Pedestrian Connections

• Hidden Parking Structures• Interior Surprises

Case Studies

Sculptural Design

• The use of terracing the mass of the structure to create a unique form and possibly mitigate its mass

• The use of shaping elements of the façade in a sculptural way

• Often still reflects the horizontal nature of a parking structure

Sculptural Design• Marina Towers, Chicago,

IL• Circular Plan• Rhythm of Balconies

Complements Parking Levels Below

• Open Façade Puts Parked Cars on Display

Sculptural Design

• San Mateo County Government Center Parking Structure

• Stepped Moment Frame Beams

• Tapered Corners• Stepped Back to Minimize

Massing

Sculptural Design

• Stanford Parking Structure 1

• Rounded Corners and Upturned Beams

Sculptural Design

• Santa Clara County Government Center• Rounded, Curving “Flying Beams”• Round Beams and Columns

Sculptural Design• UC Santa Cruz Core West PS• Parking Levels Cantilever to Minimize

the Foundation’s Impact on Surrounding Redwood Forest– Cantilevers Represent Branches of Trees

Sculptural Design• Hoover Dam Visitor

Center Parking Structure• Integral Color to Match

Surrounding Rock• Terraced into the Hillside

Playful Facades

• The use of unique elements on the façade that tie the structure to a particular use

• The use of creating design elements that have a playful representation

Playful Facades• Kansas City Public

Library Parking Structure• Façade Symbolizes the

Building Type Served by the Parking Structure

• Great Signage

Playful Facades• Lot R, Palo Alto, CA• Stairs as Sculpture• Façade represents

Music• Whimsical Stair Shape

Playful Facades• Consolidated Rental Car Facility, Fort

Lauderdale, FL• Façade Patterns in Glass and Mesh Panels• Proportions of Façade

– Hide True Number of Levels

– Minimize the Appearance of Ramping

Playful Facades• Emulates Forms, Colors and Characteristics of

the Urban Seaport Site and Context• Colorful Revealed Precast Spandrel Panels

Capture the Forms of Ships– Porthole Openings– Cruise Ship Railings– Masts– Waves

Playful Facades• Smith Avenue Transit Center, St. Paul, Minnesota• Contemporary Design that Reflects the

Surrounding Sports and Entertainment Uses• Dynamic Forms• Rich Colors• Varied Depth

of Facade

Traditional Context

• Designing the façade of the parking structure to have more traditional design proportions– Base, Middle and Top

• Utilizing traditional window opening proportions

• Utilizing materials that change the scale of the building

Traditional Context• City of Mountain View Parking Structure• Complements Architectural Proportions and Scale

of Nearby Buildings

Traditional Context-Proportion & Scale

Traditional Context• Calvert Street Parking Structure, Annapolis, MD• Stone Cornice, Brick Façade and Window

Treatments Draw on Surrounding Context

Traditional Context• City of San Rafael Parking Structure• Canopy Elements and Cornice Give the Structure

the Appearance of a Roof• Elevator Tower Serves

as a Strong Focal Point • Mid level cornice breaks

up levels

Traditional Context• Bart Fruitvale Station Parking Structure• Massing Broken into Two Vertical Sections• Use of arches to create a strong base to the

building

Traditional Context• Oceanside Transit Parking Structure• Elevation is Broken up into Smaller Parts to

Minimize Length of Structure• Window openings and canopies emulate retail

Traditional Context• Santa Clara University Parking Structure• Roof Elements Match Surrounding Architecture and Allow

the Parking Structure to look more like a Building• Rotunda Elevator Core

Traditional Context• Cannery Row Parking Structure, Monterey, CA

– Serves “The Clement Monterey” an Intercontinental Hotel

• Respects the Local Context by using Vernacular Architecture

• Valet Operation on Ground and 2nd Level with MechanicalDouble Stack Lifts to Increase Parking Efficiency & Capacity

Screening

• The use of metal mesh, louvers, glass or other elements to create a layered affect in front of the structure

• Utilizing these elements as defining building design characteristics

• Screening elements hide the layers of the parking levels behind and break up the massing of the structure

Screening

• Nutwood Parking Facility, CSU Fullerton• Frosted Glass Panels add Visual Interest and Screen Cars

– Reflect the Movement of People and Cars

– Illuminated at Night

Screening• ASU Parking Structure• Metal Mesh Panels

– Mitigate the mass of the Parking Structure

– Break up the Elevation– Give the Elevation Depth

• Sculptural Stair• Openings Punched in

theShear Wall Provide Natural Light and Give the Appearance of Abstract Windows

Screening• Parkhaus Engelenschanze, Munich, Germany• Glass Curtain Wall Creates a Translucent

Appearance• White Horizontal Stripes on the Glass Add a

Rhythmic Counterpoint to the Vertical Supports of the Metal Framing System.

• Top Level Houses Offices for the City’s Parking Authority

Screening• UCSD Hopkins PS• Blue-Tinted Metal Mesh

• Parking and Transportation Offices Located on the Second Level

• Structure Nestled into the Hillside

Screening• John Muir Health Walnut Creek, CA• Metal Louvers add Depth and

Minimize Light Trespass• Verticality Minimized with the

Proportions of Metal Louver Panels

• Surgery Center on Ground Level

Screening• UC Davis Parking Structure• Glass Panels Create a More Dynamic Elevation• Angled Glass Panels Change the Massing and

Create a Focal Point

Screening• Red Walls create a screening element• Layers of Depth Create Dynamic Elevation

Screening• Fashion Square Mall, Sherman Oaks,

CA• Green Screens Break up Mass

of Parking Decks

Screening• Sarah Lawrence College, Yonkers, NY• Replaces Traditional Concrete Look

of Parking Structures with More Aesthetically Pleasing Plants

Mixed Use

• Combining parking and other uses in the same building

• Parking with retail or commercial space included

• Mixed use developments that integrate the parking into the entire project vs. building it stand alone

Mixed-Use

Mixed-Use• 16th Street Mall Denver,

CO• Mixed Use at Street Level• Pedestrian Scale

Architecture• Façade Proportions of a

Building as opposed to a Parking Structure

• Minimize PerceptionOf Levels

Mixed-Use

• Granada Garage, Santa Barbara, CA• Complements the Rich Architectural Context of

Santa Barbara• Offices at Street Frontage

Mixed-Use

• Horton Plaza Parking Structure, San Diego

• Residential and Retail in front of Parking

• Pedestrian Scale

Mixed-Use

• Broadway Point, Walnut Creek• Parking Behind Retail

Mixed-Use• Whole Foods Parking Structure, Beverly Hills, CA• Residential Above• Whole Foods at Ground Level

Mixed-Use

• Beverly Hills Parking Structure

• Retail at Ground Level• Pedestrian Scale

• Façade Proportions Hide True Number of Levels

Mixed-Use

• Plaza Escuela Walnut Creek, CA

• Parking Behind Retail

• Stair and Elevator Towers as Architectural Focal Points

Mixed-Use• Located in the Historic Downtown District• Includes Retail and Office Space as well as a

Police Station• Reflects its Use and Surroundings

Mixed-Use• Palm and Morro Parking Structure San Luis

Obispo, CA• City Department Offices on the Ground Level• Pedestrian Scale at Street Level• Façade Proportions

Same as NeighboringBuildings

Hidden Parking Structures

• Parking that due to land use considerations is hidden below grade or under buildings

• Campus environments such as medical centers and universities where land is at a premium and the parking needs to share its land use with something else

Hidden Parking Structures• Community Hospital,

Monterey, CA• Recreated Hospital Drop

Off• Landscaping on Top• Campus Site Constraints

Dictate Below Grade Parking

Hidden Parking Structures• Stanford Parking Structure 4• Below Grade Parking• Recreated existing Meadow and Governor's Lane

Hidden Parking Structures• Pomona College• Parking Below Sports Field

Hidden Parking Structures• Stanford Graduate School of Business• Parking Below Offices

Hidden Parking Structures• Underhill Parking Structure, Berkeley, CA• Sports Field above Parking

Public Art

• Working with public art programs to incorporate artist designs into the parking structure

Public Art• City of Mountain View Parking Structure • Art Glass panels from Germany

Public Art• Olympia Place Parking Structure, Walnut Creek, CA• Copper Orb Art Object• Mixed-Use wraps around all sides of the parking structure

Public Art• Lot S&L Palo Alto, CA• Bird-Themed artwork and• Super-graphics on glass-clad elevator shaft

Public Art• Local Artist created art panel that incorporated

hub caps and local images• Incorporated art into signage

Public Art• San Jose Airport New Consolidated

Rental Car Facility

Interior Surprises

• Creating unique design elements on the interior of parking structures

• Make the space more inviting for users

• Make the space more memorable

Interior Surprises• Innovative Striping

Interior Surprises• Lot S&L Palo Alto, CA• Interior Artwork to

Identify Levels

Interior Surprises• Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Kansas City, MO• Sculptural Soffit• Skylights

Interior Surprises

• Stanford Parking Structure 1• Lightwell Provides Natural

Light and Fresh Air to the Interior

Interior Surprises

• City Center Parking Structure, Redwood City, CA

• Lightwell Provides Natural Light and Fresh Air to the Interior

Interior Surprises

• CHOMP Monterey, CA• Custom Light Fixtures• Artwork on Walls

Highlighted by Spotlights

Interior Surprises-PV Panels

Sculptural DesignPlayful Façades

Public ArtParking Structures that Respect Traditional

ContextScreening with Mesh, Glass or “Greenscreen”

Mixed-UseHidden Parking Structures

Interior Surprises

Concluding Remarks-Parking Structures are

Buildings

Questions