Parking Garage Adaptive Re-use / KSS Architects

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View from Corner

When the Parking Authority proposed a design challenge to improve the area, KSS Architects responded with an adaptive re-use strategy that transforms an existing structure to activate the site’s surroundings.  Currently, the site is occupied by an old brutalist parking garage dating back to the  1970′s  and lacks any recognition of its important history – just south of the project site is Mill Hill Park, where American and British soldiers fought the first and second battles of Trenton during the Revolutionary War.  The architects’ proposal acknowledges  the site’s rich history while adding a sense of vitality to the prominent edge of the downtown area.

More images and more about the proposal after the break.


View from Park Corner

Using the existing concrete garage, the architects propose to hang a 4,000-square-feet LED sign which will display a variety of information.  The sign can be used to show historical information, advertisements, outdoor movies or even act as a cultural amenity for art and theater events.

A continuous red ribbon weaves itself across the facade which will dual-function as a retail signage band and as a root collection system for the vertical garden that extends across Front Street.  By extending the retail face south of the existing colonnade and reorganizing the main entry into the parking garage, the design increases the retail component from roughly 10,000 sf to 15,000 sf.

Night View

The northwest entrance into Mill Hill Park becomes a pedestrian gateway into the downtown and into the park, which could be re-graded to accommodate amphitheater outdoor seating.

South Elevation

Using the existing structure’s east-west orientation, have proposed a  solar array that contributes toward an energy-neutral solution.  The architects estimate that over 25 years, the array’s net profit would be roughly half the total cost of the project’s construction.

Corner View

This proposal is among 3 other finalists and the City of Trenton will announce the winning design soon.

 
 
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endersen says:

I see almost no transformation, seeing the photograph of existing building

 
# June 23, 2010 at 16:12
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    INawe says:

    the existing building looks better.

     
    # June 23, 2010 at 20:49
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Parking Garage Adaptive Re-use / KSS Architects: View from Corner
When the Trenton Parking Authority proposed a de… http://bit.ly/cvxb7l

 
# June 23, 2010 at 17:00
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MDP says:

Any Trenton resident knows how terrible and unusable the existing structure is. Its an architectural failure which has resulted in decades of vacancy within the retail space. For a such a historic City, this building is an unfortunate gateway. The LED screen alone is a huge improvement, and the better connection to the park/ War site is something the city needs.

 
# June 23, 2010 at 21:04
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Reading: "Parking Garage Adaptive Re-use / KSS Architects | ArchDaily"( http://twitthis.com/f4tpdt )

 
# June 24, 2010 at 01:12
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Parking Garage Adaptive Re-use http://archdai.ly/biAVT8 #architecture @archdaily @TheEstephania

 
# June 24, 2010 at 08:40
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nan fischer says:

Parking Garage Adaptive Re-use http://ht.ly/22yaX

 
# June 24, 2010 at 09:00
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Tara M says:

RT @nan_fischer: Parking Garage Adaptive Re-use http://ht.ly/22yaX

 
# June 24, 2010 at 09:09
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Imad Naffa says:

Parking Garage Adaptive Re-use http://archdai.ly/biAVT8 #architecture @archdaily @TheEstephania /via @Arch4HumanityND

 
# June 24, 2010 at 09:14
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RT @biofriendlyblog: RT @nan_fischer: Parking Garage Adaptive Re-use http://ht.ly/22yaX |All parking garages shld = solar arrays- COOL

 
# June 24, 2010 at 09:15
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Adeel says:

RT @biofriendlyblog: RT @nan_fischer: Parking Garage Adaptive Re-use http://ht.ly/22yaX

 
# June 24, 2010 at 09:19
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Original way to restore old structures.

 
# June 24, 2010 at 09:23
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Pat English says:

RT @imadnaffa Multi-storey car park adapted http://archdai.ly/biAVT8 #architecture @archdaily @TheEstephania /via @Arch4HumanityND

 
# June 24, 2010 at 09:25
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Quique says:

empty, cosmetic architecture… great lack of arguments and ideas… not worthy being published here…

 
# June 28, 2010 at 09:33

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