continued

The architects paid careful attention to the height and scale of these adjacent buildings in relating the new parking garage to the context. They also wanted their garage to defer to the monumental Chamber of Agriculture building.

Ramping up the Design

The garage comprises four elements: the ribbons of concrete ramps that make up six levels of parking for up to 485 automobiles, the glass wrapper that shrouds the ramps, an office for the city's parking authority on the top level, and an inner courtyard that delivers light, air, and tranquil waters to the heart of the garage.

The layout of the ramps is somewhat ingenious, with separate up ramps and down ramps that are joined at mid-slope at the center of the garage. Parking is found all along the ramps as they ascend and descend.

It's possible to drive all the way up or down without encountering an on-coming car (a dangerous situation in any parking garage) but you have the option to change whether you are going up or down at the garage's center where there is flat cross-over ramp. This layout combines flexibility, safety, and efficiency.

Lively Glazing

The heavy visual weight that one normally associates with parking garages is not found in this one, thanks to its exterior glass walls, which offer views and light in abundance. The architects conceived of the wall literally as a wrapper, which starts its journey on Engelstrasse and moves around the garage counter clockwise, returning to its starting point but overlapping it to create a slot for a staircase.

The glass curtain wall uses various glass tints, ranging from clear to green. The glass is also painted on its inside surface with light-colored horizontal bars of different lengths, which appear like a cipher broadcast across the facade, giving it a layered depth.

In bright sunshine, the glass is highly reflective and looks almost solid, but as the day advances and the sun becomes less intense, the glass wall becomes more transparent. By evening it seems to almost disappear and readily allows the bright yellow walls that signify access and circulation to shine through. The glass wall's metal framing system is delicate, with glints of light reflecting along its long horizontal stretches.

Surprises Within

The office level surmounts the garage like a crown, overlooking Engelstrasse and clad in composite board material of aluminum over plastic. It too is wrapped in expanses of glass, giving office workers views of the city.

But the biggest surprise is found at the garage's heart. Like a Chinese lantern, a six-story open courtyard glows with natural light during the day, making an already bright parking structure even more so. At night it is ablaze with electric lighting, visually warming the center of the garage.

The courtyard is a long rectangle that runs through the center of the building's overall plan. At the center point of each level, a steel-grated bridge crosses the courtyard.

At grade level, the courtyard is paved with different shades of salmon-colored tile, which step down toward a miniature "pond" at the far end, alive with tall wetland grasses. Water gently cascades down the courtyard's stepped levels, lending the tranquil sound of a gently flowing indoor creek.

As a man-made "natural" wonder, the courtyard contributes to the indoor quality of the garage; the open courtyard provides so much natural ventilation that the garage needs no mechanical ventilation. It's also a mini-Zen experience: flowing water, fresh air, and tall green reeds gently swaying with the passing of each Mercedes, Porsche, and Beamer.   >>>

Discuss this article in the Architecture Forum...

Michael J. Crosbie is editor-in-chief of Faith & Form, a senior associate with Steven Winter Associates, and a contributing editor to ArchitectureWeek.

SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE Parkhaus Engelenschanze, a parking garage in Stuttgart, designed by wittfoht architekten. Photo: Werner Huthmacher, Berlin The glass curtain wall, in tints of green, gives the parking garage a layered depth. Photo: Werner Huthmacher, Berlin Water cascades down the terraced courtyard floor. Photo: Werner Huthmacher, Berlin Parkhaus Engelenschanze typical floor plan. Image: wittfoht architekten Parkhaus Engelenschanze, longitudinal section. Image: wittfoht architekten Up ramps are on a different circulation route from down ramps. Image: wittfoht architekten Glazing on a steel frame wraps the parking garage. Photo: Werner Huthmacher, Berlin Glazing takes on a degree of translucence, depending on sun angle. Photo: Werner Huthmacher, Berlin   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.