7 Supplementary Files
The Brookline Place Parking Garage is located in suburban Boston, USA. The 683-space parking garage serves The Brookline Place, mixed retail, commercial, and public space. The architect Elkus Manfredi designed the garage to complement the suburban context and to provide a thoughtful and elegant solution for this ancillary building.
The use of GKD Metal Fabric on the building façade was a functional as well as an aesthetic decision. The naturally ventilated garage required a breathable skin that was attractive and dynamic. The 3D mesh changes aesthetically from the viewer's standpoint, elevating the purely functional façade to the responsive play of light and shadow.
The architect collaborated with GKD-USA to create a custom version of the Tigris metal fabric. The resulting panel has an open area of 72% which provides a transparent skin, alleviating the need for mechanical ventilation systems which translate to significant energy and cost efficiencies. GKD Metal Fabrics developed the whole system including the hardware and fixing system whereby the metal fabric is held in tension with a spring.
The practical and functional benefits of metal mesh parking facades include a secure barrier that limits unwanted access, provides pedestrian safety and protection from the elements. Cost-effective installation, plus efficiencies associated with the sustainable material and production process of stainless steel include easy maintenance and a long material lifecycle.
Project Data:
| Location: | Brookline, MA |
| Architect: | Elkus Manfredi |
| Size/Scope of Project: | 156 panels, 12,835 ft² |
| Metal Fabric: | Custom Tigris FC-308 |
