Project Details
Garage P1 is one of two parking garages serving The Backyard, a new development in Bee Cave, Texas, that features a pedestrian retail district of boutique shops/bars/restaurants, an outdoor event/concert amphitheater, and a future phase with office and hotel space. Garage P1 is near the primary entrance to the development and is the most visible building from Bee Caves Parkway; therefore, it is the first experience and frontispiece for the development.
Cut into the side of a hill, only the top floor of the four-story garage is visible from the high side of the site along Willie Way. A vertical wood louver system spans along the top of the garage from level 3 to level 4 in a simple rhythm not unlike a backyard fence to create a dramatic horizontal element jutting out of the landscape. Behind and beneath this ‘fence’, the design works within the limitations of typical precast concrete construction to rearrange standard elements in order to correct two undesirable attributes commonly found in garages:
First, the proposed design pulls vertical circulation away from the precast structure as standalone towers expressed on the exterior of the building. The towers add visual interest, encourage use of the stairs, and provide a more visible, comfortable, and safe path of travel than the typical enclosed switchback stair.
Second, two light wells penetrate all levels of the garage to bring light and air down to the often dark and stale center of the garage.
In aesthetic and organizational layout, this 500-car garage is designed to be an intermediary between the three amenities it is meant to serve: functioning as the vital link between Bee Cave Central Park to the east, the Glenn & Venue to the south, and offices & hotels to the west. On top of that, the structure is solar-ready and features five rainwater cisterns with over 100,000 gallons of capacity!
