Convention Center Parking Garage

The functional design of this ten-level, mixed-use, open precast parking garage consists of a double threaded helix with “jump” ramps at the end turning bays. The small site and the height of the garage determined this arrangement. The 17,340-sf of ground floor spaces consist of a Trader Joe’s grocery store, a car rental agency and the garage elevator lobby. These spaces extend out to the edge of the sidewalk while the mass of the garage is setback from the street. The roof of the ground floor retail spaces is covered with a green roof. Vehicle entrances/exit lanes on Arch Street are configurated in an “English” system. The glass backed elevators along Arch Street provide passive security for the parking patrons. The garage façade is clad in a series of three-dimensional, tensioned, perforated fabric mesh panels that screen the parked cars from view while also providing sufficient free area for the natural ventilation of the garage. This façade is illuminated with color changing LED lights.