Behnisch Architekten Partnerschaft mbB

City of Santa Monica Parking Structure #6

City of Santa Monica Parking Structure #6

Behnisch Architekten + Studio Jantzen

City of Santa Monica Parking Structure #6
© David Matthiessen

PHOTOGRAHS
David Matthiessen , Stefan Behnisch

MANUFACTURERS
Pohl, Aga, Cornellcookson, Otis, Western States Metal Roofing, Abc Resources, Acco, Apollo, Ca Rasmussen, Cmc, Church & Larsen, Cowelco, Hutchison, J. Colavin & Son, Letner Roofing, Montgomery, Morley Construction, Murray, Pacific Building Specialties, R&r, Randall/mcanany, Reliable Floor Covering, Sgk, Sentry, Services, Sharma, Shaw & Sons, Structural Shotcrete, Traffic Management, Vnsm

AREA
2250 m²

YEAR
2013

CATEGORY
Parking

LOCATION
Santa Monica, United States

City of Santa Monica Parking Structure #6
© David Matthiessen

Text description provided by architect.

The City of Santa Monica (CoSM) Parking Structure #6 in downtown Santa Monica serves several major local and tourist destinations. The public parking structure was completed in December 2013.

The public realm at Second Street is a dynamic overlap of retail, pedestrians, bikers, motorists, landscaping, and opportunities to sit and rest.

City of Santa Monica Parking Structure #6
© David Matthiessen
City of Santa Monica Parking Structure #6
© Stefan Behnisch

But with this innovative structure, the public realm does not stop at the ground floor, it continues up along the entire building face via an exterior diagonal stair.

This dynamic circulation zone at the façade invites all parking patrons to make their way to Second Street, reducing way-finding confusion, which plagues most parking garages.

Patrons cascade up and down the exterior stair, weaving in and out of the plane of the façade. The façade is pulled away at the stair, safely bringing the movement of people to the fore. This serves a twofold purpose: to ensure safety in visibility and offer unique ocean views.

City of Santa Monica Parking Structure #6
© David Matthiessen
City of Santa Monica Parking Structure #6
© David Matthiessen
City of Santa Monica Parking Structure #6
© Stefan Behnisch

The façade functions as a light-enhancement screen which is carefully crafted to bring light deep into the building structure, eliminating harsh glare at the edge.

This screen is composed of metal panels, which are folded outward to catch and redirect high angle sunlight into the depths of the structure.

The portion of the façade that remains unfolded is perforated to allow for the passage of low angle light directly into the garage and to provide a high degree of visual transparency. This combination allows a greater amount of light to enter the garage over a longer period.

City of Santa Monica Parking Structure #6
© Stefan Behnisch
City of Santa Monica Parking Structure #6
© Stefan Behnisch
City of Santa Monica Parking Structure #6
© Stefan Behnisch

From the street, the highly transparent façade appears busy with the passage of people, and the constant, ever-changing backdrop of cars. This dynamic façade not only provides a functional lighting aspect for the parking structure, it also creates a strong identity, enlivening the streetscape.


City of Santa Monica Parking Structure #6
Detail 1
City of Santa Monica Parking Structure #6
Detail 2


City of Santa Monica Parking Structure #6
Section
City of Santa Monica Parking Structure #6
Overall Section


City of Santa Monica Parking Structure #6
Site Plan
City of Santa Monica Parking Structure #6
Floor Plan
City of Santa Monica Parking Structure #6
Section Detail

Behnisch Architekten Partnerschaft mbB
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