The Changing Perception of Parking Michelle Wendler, AIA Watry Design, Inc. Southwest Parking Association September 30, 2009
May 17, 2015
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