Parking structures at their simplest form are just a place for people to leave their cars to go to other places and other events, but that becomes a waste of city space because this means the building becomes more of an unwanted necessity than an actual enjoyable space, and they actively detract from the real focal points of the city. As well as being more of a necessity than an enjoyable building, most modern parking structures have a very limited use and times that they are used, meaning that large structures take up much needed spaces in the city but are mostly empty during the day and night. These are important issues to cities, and while no one can deny that parking structures are a necessity to cities, they are in need of a strong architectural redesign.
Many large parking structures do not even attempt to merge their architecture and design to those of the surrounding city, feeling more like displaced monoliths of concrete than actual programable buildings. While the structure and use of the building often restricts much of the design, some modern car parks have found ways to stand out and create a certain style and attractive façade or theme to their parking structures, allowing them to present their buildings proudly and drawing people in to want to park there. These facades can be artistically interesting and evoke certain emotions to those passing by on the street or might even have certain themes or stories told by these lots, often in relation to nearby programs and buildings.
Some cities have found ways to expand the program beyond the basic transportation program ingrained in the idea of a parking structure and have understood the potential for these spaces to be so much more. Projects like “1111 Lincoln Road”, a car park and multifunctional building designed by Herzog & de Meuron for Miami, have taken this single use space, and have broken apart the form and preconceptions of this space to change heights and dimensions that fit a changing and evolving program of retail, restaurants, and even apartments that work with the design of the parking, rather than ignoring or even working against it. These spaces allow for the building to develop its own culture and uses while still serving their roles for surrounding buildings.
Another thing more cities are learning to embrace with parking structures is the potential for viewing points within the city. Most parking garages and high-rise car parks have a mostly open form and can, when placed in the right places, can provide sweeping views of well used sections of the city, which is where these parking structures are the most useful. By embracing these views and enhancing them with interesting structural designs, these large buildings can serve as multi-level viewing platforms and even artist multi-use spaces with beautiful backgrounds of the city. Rather than become an eyesore and a distraction to the overall aesthetics of the city, they can seek to control and enhance the ideas a city might want to express, by inviting people to stay at these viewing zones and experience the city long after their main reason for coming to the city has passed.
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