Architecture of Parking cover

Architecture of Parking

by Simon Henley

The challenge of housing a maximum number of cars in a well-designed space is one of the most overlooked aspects of twentieth-century architecture, and yet it has attracted a stellar array of architects throughout the history of its development. From Louis Kahn to Rem Koolhaas, from Paul Rudolph to Zaha Hadid to Kengo Kuma, architects have used the parking garage to experiment with ideas about materiality, form, structure and use that ultimately inform their other projects." "This is the first major international survey of parking garages ever published. Four chapters - on light, material, elevation and program - feature a visual essay by noted architectural photographer Sue Barr together with project spreads and case studies that present ground-breaking structures in photographs and drawings." "From the iconic Marina City towers in Chicago to the latest robotic technology at the Volkswagen Autoturme in Germany, the author shows how the form and function of the parking garage has been hugely influential not only on generations of architects but on popular culture, capturing the imagination of novelists, photographers and film-makers. The Architecture of Parking will be an indispensable and inspirational resource for students, professional architects, engineers, urban planners and developers.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?