A Parking Gateway

by Jonathan McGaha | July 31, 2014 12:00 am

According to architectural firm BBH Design[1], Raleigh, the design concept is “filtered edge,” which blends a densely wooded site with a bold architectural language to establish a new gateway to the LEED-certified campus. A future pedestrian bridge and plaza will complete the connection from the campus edge through the woods to the main campus. “This idea sets a precedent for a companion phase two parking structure that will complete the gateway,” says Tzu Chen, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, associate at BBH Design.

The new 185,737-square-foot parking deck provides 514 spaces on the perimeter of campus to help meet the growing need for parking associated with an increase in student enrollment. “The goal was to implement an environmentally sensitive strategy by building dense vertical parking structures in lieu of expansive surface lots,” explains Chen. “As a result, the minimized footprint preserves perimeter greenfields and reduces impervious pavement on campus.”

The stainless steel panels are attached to canted steel frames oriented in a pinwheel design to allow direct views toward campus to guide wayfinding as students move through the deck. Also aiding in wayfinding, aluminum airfoil louvers turn horizontally off the façade and indicate vehicle access. Architecturally, they provide a visual break between the towers and perforated metal screens.

At opposite corners of the parking deck are two stair towers that anchor the structure and signal entry locations at the campus’s southern edge. One tower signifies an entry for vehicles, while the other is a grand pedestrian gateway. Both towers are skinned in Reynobond aluminum composite material (ACM) panels from
Alcoa Architectural Product[2]s, Eastman, Ga., and glazed aluminum curtainwall systems from YKK AP America Inc.[3], Austell, Ga. Additionally, selective areas of concrete were left exposed to reveal the structure behind the cladding systems.

For the project, Morin Corp.[4], a Kingspan company, Bristol, Conn., supplied 20,000 square feet of its 20-gauge MR-36S perforated metal panel in Type 304 stainless steel natural 4B finish, which was installed by New View Inc., Auburn, Ga. New View also installed Cranford, N.J.-based Construction Specialties[5]‘ C/S Grilles, while Advanced Exterior Systems[6], Raleigh, installed the Reynobond ACM panels, and Atlantic Glass, Clayton, N.C., installed the curtainwall.

Chen says the screened wall panels were specified for aesthetic goals and to remain within the budget. The screen wall panels minimize the amount of sunlight and UV rays hitting vehicles inside, Chen adds.

According to Daniel Davenport, Morin regional sales manager, stainless steel offers a resistance to corrosion and staining, low maintenance and a look that will not change like some metals. Morin’s MR-36S profile features a 3-inch rib for strength, allowing it to span each level vertically. Four panels together formed each screen, which measures 12 by 48 feet, he explains.

“The original plan was to install the perforated screen wall on only three sides of the parking deck, strictly as a cost-saving measure,” Chen explains. “The client insisted on installing the MR-36S screened wall panels on the fourth side, the side that faces the wooded area and the campus. It turned out to be economically feasible. The panels contrasted the natural surroundings, but the stainless also reflects the environment. When the sky changes, it’s reflected in the panels.”

Completed in November 2012, the project received the AIA Triangle Honor Award in North Carolina, making it the first parking deck project to receive an honor award, not merit, in the Triangle.

Wake Technical Community College North Parking Deck, Raleigh, N.C.
Award: AIA Triangle Honor Award in North Carolina
Owner: Wake Technical Community College
Architect: BBH Design[1], Raleigh
General contractor: Choate Construction[7], Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
Structural engineer/landscape: Kimley-Horn and Associates[8], Cary, N.C.
Glass contractor: Atlantic Glass, Clayton, N.C.
Installers: New View Inc.[9], Auburn, Ga., and Advanced Exterior Systems[6], Raleigh
Composite metal panels: Reynobond by Alcoa Architectural Products[10], Eastman, Ga.
Curtainwall: YKK AP America Inc.[3], Austell, Ga.
Metal grilles: Construction Specialties[11], Cranford, N.J.
Perforated ribbed metal wall panels: Morin Corp.[4], a Kingspan company, Bristol, Conn.

Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/articles/a-parking-gateway/

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