The Architecture of Parking

The challenge of housing a maximum number of cars in a well-designed space is one of the most overlooked aspects of twentieth-century architecture, and yet it has attracted a stellar array of architects throughout the history of its development. From Louis Kahn to Rem Koolhaas, from Paul Rudolph to Zaha Hadid to Kengo Kuma, architects have used the parking garage to experiment with ideas about materiality, form, structure and use that ultimately inform their other projects." "This is the first major international survey of parking garages ever published. Four chapters - on light, material, elevation and program - feature a visual essay by noted architectural photographer Sue Barr together with project spreads and case studies that present ground-breaking structures in photographs and drawings." "From the iconic Marina City towers in Chicago to the latest robotic technology at the Volkswagen Autoturme in Germany, the author shows how the form and function of the parking garage has been hugely influential not only on generations of architects but on popular culture, capturing the imagination of novelists, photographers and film-makers. The Architecture of Parking will be an indispensable and inspirational resource for students, professional architects, engineers, urban planners and developers.