Designed by architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron, the garage is dramatically open to the sky, creating a setting that is attractive for parties and weddings.
Writes Russell, "By any conventional real-estate formula, neither the building form nor the odd revenue-producing combination makes any sense. It's hard to see where the architectural concept ends and [Developer Robert] Wennett's commercial savvy begins."
Comments
Nope.
While it does well to front Lincoln Road with retail, the rest of the building is already an eyesore. Seriously, this is slabs of concrete...it's not architecture, it's carchitecture.
Or Maybe Just Starchitecture
It is typical of Starchitects to create buildings that are glamorous sculptural objects but are anti-human - and typical of architecture critics to be imprressed. This is just one more example.
Charles Siegel
Been Done
This has been done before, and failed. I'd love to see a follow-up story on this in 10 years, when the novelty has worn off. My guess is the retailers will have left and the condos are empty because the tenants realized that the building is still just a parking garage. I've seen similar attempts at this that were built in the '60s with cutting edge architecture, retail spaces, great location, and 40 years later they are blighted eyesores. It is the extreme of putting cars before people. They built a space for cars and found ways to squeeze people into it. The architecture will lose its intrigue over time, and people will see it for what it is - an expensive parking garage.