raw designs urban room development to save Gardiner Expressway

raw designs urban room development to save Gardiner Expressway

The Gardiner Expressway in Toronto has been a bone of contention for some years. The City of Toronto has discussed the possibilty of removing the expressway and beautifying the waterfront and public space surrounding it but in spite of this there has been no progress to date. Architecture firm, raw design has decided to take the initiative and, instead of joining the rally to get rid of the Gardiner, is creating developments that utilise the neglected expressway.

Currently nearing completion, Panorama is the latest in a series of developments in the area, by developers Concord Adex, collectively known as CityPlace. The location of Panorama gave architect Roland Rom Colthoff, formerly of Quadrangle Architects, the impetus to revamp the dead space under the expressway into a large outdoor vestibule for residents. This is the first building to use the space beneath the Gardiner as an urban room and it will feature design elements by public artist Pierre Poussin. The design aims to incorporate the Gardiner as a fluid part of the city’s design for the future.

Source: worldarchitecturenews

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KCAP and JHK win competition for park and ride facility

KCAP and JHK win competition for park and ride facility

KCAP Architects & Planners together with JHK Architecten have been awarded first prize in the competition for the park and ride facility P&R Hooggelegen in Utrecht. The project is being commissioned by the Municipality of Utrecht and will be realised in two phases, each comprising a 31,000 sq m building with 1,000 parking spaces. Phase one is expected to be delivered in 2011, phase two between 2012 and 2015.











The P&R will be located along highway A2 Utrecht-Amsterdam between Papendorp office park and the Hooggelegen intersection. Access is via a new highway exit and a viaduct which is currently under construction, crossing the highway and connecting the new area of Leidsche Rijn with Utrecht.

Lifted one level above the ground, the 9 and 7 storey high buildings are visible over the new viaduct and a noise protection wall. The facades will be made out of light bronze and silvery anodized aluminum lamellas. An internal route on the second level connects the two car parks by bridges, passing commercial facilities and ultimately leading users to the bus stop outside by the main entrance. The ground level is entirely kept free for car entries and exits, taxis, buses and drop-off areas. The centre of both parking garages reveal huge open spaces filled with trees, allowing for natural daylight and ventilation through the open facades.

Irma van Oort of KCAP said: “Our concept for P&R Hooggelegen is flexible and innovative. Until the second building phase is executed, the first can perfectly function on its own. All aspects of the design concept, accessibility and the iconic appearance are incorporated in each individual building.”

Ad van Aert of JHK added: “A new organisational concept is introduced for the parking garage which provides for high efficiency. We believe we have found a truly sustainable solution to flexibly handle the peaks in commuters’ traffic.”

Via: World Architecture News

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