The Parking Garage Gets Its Turn in the Architectural Spotlight

The gaze of the world's starchitects has turned lovingly towards the lowly parking garage. New projects by Zaha Hadid, Herzog & de Meuron, Frank Gehry, and Enrique Norten in Miami give a makeover to the Cinderella of structures.

1 minute read

January 23, 2012, 5:00 AM PST

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


The world's most revered architects are showing their chops in a showdown in America's southeast. The setting for this virtuoso duel is Miami, Florida and the object of attention is the much maligned parking garage.

"The fact that the parking garage has been a neglected form excites some architects, says Bernardo Fort-Brescia, founding principal of Arquitectonica. "That's precisely the challenge-how to turn that garage into something that people love," he says."

"As star architects descend on Miami Beach, they seem to be goading more of their peers to join. "What's happening now is similar to what happened in the Art Deco period, when the city developed a collaborative of architects who played off each other's designs," says William Cary, assistant director of the Miami Beach planning department."

Wednesday, January 18, 2012 in The Wall Street Journal

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

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