It seems that some of the more aspirational car park exterior designs around the world are starting to see recognition in the mainstream commercial design world.
An article recently published in Commercial Design Trends magazine (see their website at trendsideas.com) explores how car park façades are being used to disguise and shelter car park buildings whilst simultaneously enliven the streetscape.
The article focuses on three car parks in particular, citing the new Brisbane domestic terminal car park, whose exterior was designed by Urban Art Projects, as a great example of how a beautiful design can minimise the visual impact of the car park. With 130,000 suspended, perforated aluminium squares that move in the wind, the building appears to ‘ripple’, creating a direct interface between the built and natural environments.
The Auckland City Hospital car park was recognised for its design, with the façade featuring folded metal panels with four million large and small perforations forming a tree pattern, and creating light and shade. The panels were also designed to ventilate the building.
In the US, the City of Santa Monica has set about improving the look of its downtown area, with one of the key targets being the eight parking garages around the popular 3rd Street Promenade and refurbished Santa Monica Place. Brooks & Scarpa were commissioned to design improvements to the garages, including new façades, improved pedestrian access, enhanced lighting and ground-floor tenancies.
Innovations in the design of car parks – both to their frontages as well as the design of the interior of the structure – have a huge impact on how people interact not only with the car parks, but the public spaces that they are in.