THE FACE OF PARKING IN THE 21ST CENTURY FromUgly Gray to Beautiful Goo BY RICK KINNELL T


HE LAST 20 years have seen a revolution in parking architecture. Over that time, the typical


parking structure has been trans- formed from an ugly gray facility to an attractive building that fits seamlessly into the neighborhood in which it’s located. Cities today are dotted with parking garages with eye-catching facades made of brick,marble, granite and steel.


tecture is the advancement of technology. In short, parking design teams have more tools at their dispos- al when creating a new structure. Most notably, advances in precast con- crete technologies and practices have opened up an enormous range of materials and design approaches for architects creating parking facades. The legacy of the parking


gray-banded


garage design of the past was rooted in technological limitations. These forced designers to create structures with exposed floors and beams held together by concrete sections.These build- ingswere, frankly, often ugly and rarely fit well into the neighborhoods in which they were located. In addition to being unattractive, tra-


This trend extends beyond themateri-


als that are used to create parking struc- tures.Many garages include beautiful and artistic flourishes such as clock towers, ornamental window boxes, and public art projects. In fact, modern parking struc- tures are as notable for their good looks as they are for the function they serve.


Integral Parts of the Community So why the big change in the look of


parking? There are a number of reasons, including the need to gain community acceptance for the development of new parking projects and the advent of mixed-use projects in which parking is paired with residential, retail, commercial or oth- er services. In such mixed-use development, parking must reflect the architecture of the rest of the complex. But perhaps the


biggest factor in the evo- lution of parking archi-


24 JANUARY 2011 • PARKING TODAY • www.parkingtoday.com


ditional parking design also suffered from functional disadvantages. The most serious was the extent to which aesthetic considerations


forced designers to avoid using sloping on outside modules. Parking designers were forced to sacrifice security, traffic flow and other advantages that sloped floors on outside mod- ules can provide. Modern precast approach-


Because precast


concrete panels are cre- ated indoors, under opti- mal conditions,


the


options for architectural detail are limitless. Designers can create facades that feature vir- tually any material. They can be designed to mimic the look of sur- rounding buildings or adhere to the designer’s and owner’s unique artistic vision.


An Artistic


Vision for ‘Green’ Parking One of the most exciting trends is the


advent of “green” parking. Designers are implementing numerous state-of-the-art technologies and approaches that are reducing a parking structure’s carbon foot- print aswell as the amount of energy need- ed for operations.


es permit designers to avoid these limitations. Today’s pre- cast structures often feature, for example, punched-out “windows” that, in addition to providing a nice decorative touch, can mask sloping floors behind them. By eliminating the


These were, frankly, often ugly and rarely fit well into the neighborhoods in which they were located.


Architecture plays an important part


need to choose between form and function, these approaches provide the best of both worlds to designers. They can cre- ate beautiful buildings that stand out as urban landmarks, while main- taining the functional integrity of the structure by providing the highest levels of security and traffic flow.


in the success of any green parking design. Sustainable architectural approaches are transforming the design of parking facili- ties, making them both more environmen- tally responsible andmore attractive. One of themost common green archi-


tectural elements is the inclusion of “green roofs” on parking structures. Comprising hardy native trees, grasses and other vege- tation, they can help reduce a structure’s carbon footprint while offering the func- tional advantage of providing a recreation- al or gathering space for parking patrons or local residents. Because parking facili- ties tend to have large flat roofs, they can offer the perfect space for the development of green roofs. Green roofs can also be developed on


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