A “Reinvention”: The parking garage disguised as an office building

The “Car Park One at Chesapeake” in Oklahoma City is a parking garage, which at first glance appears as an office building. The building “stores” 791 cars that are not visible from the outside during daytime or nighttime. “Car Park One At Chesapeake” was designed by Elliott + Associates Architects, Oklahoma City, with the support of Walker Parking Consultants, Minneapolis.

From the first exchange of ideas with the architect to the completion of the garage, W.S. Tyler, Mentor, Ohio, and Haver & Boecker, Oelde, Germany, provided a variety of mock-ups, took on-site measurements and supported the local contractor during installation.

The architect’s focus was on functionality, safety, compatibility with the existing Chesapeake Energy campus architecture, and reinvention of the typical parking garage image while making it fun for the daily users of this garage. To achieve this goal the architect created a concept that followed certain guidelines, which included:

1. The exterior skin must be a minimum of 20 percent open by code.
2. Devise a way so that the cars are not visible from the outside during daytime or nighttime.
3. Make the exterior respond to the constantly changing light and color of the Oklahoma sky.
4. The structure will “connect” to campus and not duplicate.
5. Think “Brick Shadow” and soft/sky reflections.
6. Make the architectural mass “dissolve” into the sky.

To achieve a homogenous surface with 25 percent open area, W.S. Tyler designed a new mesh specification using slightly crimped flat wires: LARGO-PLENUS 2022, made from Stainless Steel T316. Small gaps between vertical panels provide minimal interference for the integrity of the mesh facade.

In full sunlight, the mesh façade appears fully opaque and the building is not immediately recognizable as a parking garage. To further accentuate the structure, aluminum tubes have been added to the south and east elevation, which create interesting reflections on the mesh itself. W.S. Tyler supplied a total of 117 panels for a total facade area of 35,000 square feet.

Although the mesh façade disguises the building on the outside, from the inside it provides a high degree of transparency when looking out. With an open area of 25 percent, the mesh is open enough to be able to recognize buildings, natural elements and people outside of the garage. At the same time it provides adequate airflow to allow for natural ventilation.

Even though the Oklahoma weather can be hot and humid in the summer, LARGO-PLENUS 2022 cools down the air significantly and provides comfortable shading inside the garage. During Oklahoma’s sometimes volatile weather patterns, the LARGO-PLENUS mesh can provide some measure of protection to vehicles that are parked inside. Together, the architect, contractors and W.S. Tyler developed a special invisible tensioning system, customized for this building, to further enhance the aesthetics.

“The Car Park One at Chesapeake” was recognized with numerous awards. It was one of the winners in the International Architecture Awards Program. It also received the Award of Excellence and Award of Merit in the International Parking Institute’s Awards of Excellence Competition.

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Wendy DeCapite is the sales manager, architectural products at W.S. Tyler, Mentor, Ohio. To learn more, visit www.weavingideas.net.