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Lexington's Helix Garage is up for the coveted honor of “Coolest Parking Spot" in the country.
More than just a convenient spot to stash your ride while going about your business downtown, an expert panel from Looking4.com, a website that assists users in comparing parking options at airports around the world, and architecture and design publication Architizer have selected the Helix Garage among an elite group of 10 parking structures across America that elevate parking to an art form.
"Often perceived as practical structures where function reigns over form, parking garages are not typically celebrated for their visual appeal and aesthetics," a press release announcing the competition allows. "However, a few have broken the mold."
Once you accept the fact that such a list exists, you realize it's actually quite a nice honor for Lexington and for Pohl Rosa Pohl Architecture + Design. According to a case study on its website, in 2014 the firm successfully transformed an "oppressive, aging concrete parking structure" originally constructed in 1966 into a functional work of art with the addition of a "layered facade that provides a new texture appropriate to the city center" and "shifting LED lighting colors [that] make for a joyful night time experience."
Visitors can vote for their favorite at www.looking4.com/us/blog/coolest-parking-lots-in-america. The winner will be announced later this summer. The full list of garages in the running include:
- City View Garage by IwamotoScott Architecture, Miami, Florida (2015): Located along the edge of Miami’s Design District, the City View Garage features a digitally-fabricated modulated metal screen spanning the entire façade which allows for natural air flow, negating the need for mechanical ventilation within the structure.
- 1111 Lincoln Rd by Herzog & de Meuron, Miami, Florida (2010): Miami’s 1111 Lincoln Road parking sculpture is comprised of four different elements—a 300 car parking garage, retail and a private residence, which can be used for parties, photo or film shoots, fashion shows, concerts or more. The structure has no exterior walls allowing each level to incorporate natural light and views of Miami’s skyline.
- Mission Bay Parking Structure by WRNS Studio, San Francisco, California (2009): This 7 floor, 1,400-vehicle capacity car park situated in San Francisco’s Mission Bay, boasts a variety of design elements offering a new visual experience from each side. Balancing sunlight and shadows, the garage’s south facade features indentations of varying sizes along its plaster surface while the north and east side are covered in perforated aluminum panels illustrated with imagery depicting California’s redwood forests.
- Helix Garage by POHL ROSA POHL architecture+design, Lexington, Kentucky (2014): After undergoing a complete structural renovation, the facade of the Helix Garage was brightened with the addition of three layers of perforated steel panels suspended on a vertical steel scaffold. The panels’ perforations cause them to appear nearly translucent, providing layered depth during daylight and a surface for shifting multicolored LED lights at night.
- Sinking Ship by Mandeville and Berge, Seattle, Washington (1961): With its unique form and position along the street’s slope causing it to closely resemble the bow of a boat, the Sinking Ship is an iconic site in Seattle. Rumored to be haunted, the structure was built on the site of the demolished Seattle Hotel.
- Greenway Self-Park by HOK, Chicago, Illinois (2010): The 11-story energy efficient Greenway Self-Park garage includes a cistern rainwater collection system, electric car plug-in stations and a way-finding system at each elevator lobby that educates patrons on ways to live more sustainable lives. Currently pursuing LEED certification, the garage boasts numerous vertical turbines that harness wind power to help illuminate the structure’s exterior.
- Michigan Theatre by Rapp and Rapp, Detroit, Michigan (1925): This parking garage was originally The Michigan Theatre, rising to seven stories and holding 4,000 seats. The theatre closed its doors in 1969 and became a skate park, rock venue, supper club and a variety of other establishments. Engineers feared that demolishing the structure would destabilize the surrounding buildings, so it was eventually converted into an office building and car park
- 10th & Wyandotte Garage by BNIM, Kansas City, Missouri (2017): Designed in collaboration with local Kansas City artist, Andy Brayman, the façade of Kansas City’s 10th & Wyandotte Garage features an eye-catching pattern created by nearly 600 ceramic inserts whose shape was inspired by fossils.
- T3 Parking Structure by Danze Blood Architects, Austin, Texas (2012): Combining a mixture of circulation, light, and nature, the T3 Parking Structure is enclosed by exterior concrete framework covered by steel screens. Living vines climb the screens which allows the structure to blend into the surrounding hillside while a planted green roof acts as a water detention pond to provide a habitat for vegetation and birds.
- UC Davis Health System Parking Structure III by Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture, Sacramento, California (2012): A revolutionary feat in bringing the outside, in — the parking garage at UC Davis features a custom shade screen made of nearly four thousand extruded aluminum fins, each positioned at different angles to reflect light inside the garage. In addition to bringing natural light inside, the fins adorn and conceal structure’s facade, adding some curb appeal for a perfect form meets functions parking garage.