City of Santa Monica Parking Structure

At Second Street, the public realm is a dynamic overlap of retail, pedestrians, bikers, motorists, landscaping, and opportunities to sit and rest. A dynamic circulation zone at the facade invites all parking patrons to navigate toward Second Street, minimizing way finding confusion that often characterizes traditional parking garages.

Patrons cascade up and down a diagonal exterior stair that weaves in and out of the building’s façade. The façade is recessed around the red diagonal stair, bringing the movement of people to the fore. This serves a twofold purpose: ensuring safety through increased visibility, and offering unique views of the ocean. The parking structure provides spaces for 744 cars, 91 bicycles and 19 motorcycles. Additionally, it offers 30 dedicated spaces to charge electric cars, which can be expanded up to 130 chargers as demand increases.

The façade functions as a light-enhancing screen, carefully crafted to bring light deep into the building while eliminating harsh glare at the edges. This screen is composed of metal panels, which are folded outwards to catch and redirect high angle sunlight into the depth of the structure. The unfolded portion of the facade is perforated to allow for the passage of low angle light directly into the garage, while providing a high level of visual transparency. This combination allows for a greater amount of light to enter the garage over a longer period.

From the street, the highly transparent façade is animated by the movement of people and the ever-changing backdrop of cars. In addition to its role in enhancing natural light within the structure, the façade creates a strong identity that enlivens the streetscape.