The World's Coolest Car Parks

I usually say to myself that Design is Everything!

This has been proved true again in that even Car parks have been made to become land marks and Masterpieces of Architecture. See some of them from around the world below.

Charles Street Car Park, UK

Known by locals as the 'cheese grater', Charles Street Car Park in Sheffield was designed by Allies and Morrison Architects on the site of an old Yorkshire Grey pub. The building has identical panels angled in various directions to give it a unique look and has a capacity of 520 parking spaces spread over ten floors. At first glance it appears as an apartment block when the jagged cubed building is in fact the most modern, cutting-edge car park in the area.

Parking des Celestins, France

This car park in Lyon won the award for Europe's most remarkable car park renovation in 1996, after the designer succeeded in getting light into the car park which goes far underground. The central core of the car park is a light well lit from the street above and a vast mirror sits at the base of the well, rotating and reflecting light around the seven levels. The ground level has a periscope which allows passers-by to view the cavernous space below.

1111 Lincoln Road, USA

This design masterpiece is a unique and striking landmark in Miami and was described by its designers Herzog & de Meuron as "the most radical work they had ever done". 1111 Lincoln Road resembles a house of cards and offers panoramic views of the South Beach area - not bad for a place to leave the car, eh? The open-air structure with no exterior walls features varying floor heights and has even become a go-to structure for architects and photographers looking for inspiration.

Car Park Plaza, Spain

Designed by Teresa Sapey Estudio, Car Park Plaza in Valencia is all about colour and fun, with sustainability and functionality in mind. Graphics cover the wall and portray various parts of the city while indicating the route and the time it takes you to walk there (blue represents water, red is for the cultural spaces and orange reflects leisure activities). Low-energy neon lights trace arrows to guide drivers and a picture of a descent downstairs created with LED lights marks the pedestrian access.

Veranda, Netherlands

Dutch architect Paul de Ruiter's Veranda car park in Rotterdam features sloping runways in the middle of a trapezium-shaped floor plan, meaning cars can move in a spiral upwards or downwards around the centre. The facade was composed of horizontal strips of aluminium, alternated with small strips of mirror glass and from the inside it acts as a diffuse screen admitting daylight and providing a fragmented view of the outside world.

Many more remain tho'. You can find it (with many Thanks) from http://travel.aol.co.uk

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Nigeria's 'Floating' School

What a refreshing idea!! Now this is the kind of architecture that excites me, it may not be a huge 25 floor hotel complex, or a luxury mansion or shopping centre, but it responds to the majority. The very same people who are neglected in Nigeria, by the politicians, the economy and the built environment. The people of Makoko are street-smart, which is ironic since a vast majority of them live on water, however they are very ingenious in the ways that they are able to maintain their livelihoods in Makoko, therefore it only makes sense that in respone to their culture, that the architecture is not only unique but reflects the Makoko way of life.

A floating school designed and built by NLÉ, a practice founded by Kunlé Adeyemi who is Nigerian born and raised is pictured above, composed mainly of timber and protected in a corrugated roof. More info on Adeyemi:

"Adeyemi studied architecture at the University of Lagos where he began his early practice, before joining the world renowned Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) in 2002. At OMA, working closely with founder Rem Koolhaas for nearly a decade, he led the design, development and execution of numerous projects in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Among these projects were the award winning Samsung Museum of Art, the Seoul National University Museum, NM Rothschild Bank in London, Shenzhen Stock Exchange tower in China, Prada Transformer in South Korea, Qatar National Library, Qatar Foundation Headquarters and the 4th Mainland Bridge and master plan in Lagos. Adeyemi was responsible for critical stages in design and realization of these projects. This involved leading OMA’s design team, coordinating a diverse global network of stakeholders and experts collaborators, including Arup for Engineering and Davis Langdon (AECOM) on cost matters."

"Nearing the completion of Makoko Floating School, NLÉ and Makoko community marked this moment with a public preview and cultural celebration on March 2, 2013. The event was attended by Mrs. Ade Mamonyane Lekoetje, the Country Director of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), as well as representatives of Lagos State Government, UNHabitat, SCCU, LMDGP, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Makoko community, leaders, press, friends, NLÉ staff, international collaborators and a wide range of supporters from Nigeria and beyond. With over 200 people on board the Floating School, the 'boat' remained steady while the event rocked - keynote speeches, drinks, food, music, dancing and exciting cultural performances marked this memorable day!"


More details about this project:
 
"PROGRAM: School, Community Building
AREA: 220 m2
STATUS: Finished
SUPPORT: United Nations Development Programme/Federal Ministry of Environment (AAP) & Heinrich Böll Foundation
TEAM: Kunlé Adeyemi, Lisa Anderson, Thijs Bouman, Leslie Ebony, Marije Nederveen, Segun Omodele, Adekunle Olusola, Chryso Onisiforou, Martin Oreoluwa, Berend Strijland & Monica Velasco
Makoko Waterfront Community: The Baales of Makoko/Iwaya Waterfront Community, with special mention of Baale Emmanuel Shemede, Noah Jesutin Shemede, Jeunbete Shemede, Makoko Community Development Association & Youth Leaders and Makoko Floating School building team.
COLLABORATORS: Blok Kats van Veen Architects, Dykstra – Naval Architects, Thieu Besselink, Roel Bosch, Urhahn + Borra, Pieters Bouwtechniek, Ikeyi & Arifayan, Solarmate Engineering Ltd., Renderings Tim van Bentum
PHOTOGRAPHY: NLÉ, Iwan Baan" 

Source: http://nigerianarchitecture.blogspot.com

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