Car Park Jahrhunderthalle, Bochum, 2009
Competition, 4. Prize

The design for the Jahrhunderthalle parking garage in Bochum is consistent with the distinctive industrial heritage of the site.

The artificial topography of the site is adopted and is manifested in the sculptural building form via three different layers: parking, terrace and roof. The highly efficient ramp circulation system allows not only a compact building that meets all the demands of a parking garage, but also a clear spatial framework that is lit from all sides.

The site’s existing buildings’ construction and materiality provide a model for the parking garage, which will be a steel skeleton dressed in brick. The textile-like skin creates an exterior character and also hints at the interior experience of the building. Images emerge from the individual rotation of each brick and resultant depth of the envelope, changing as the sun and one’s viewpoint move. The stratified pattern of the façade bestows a great plastic depth and field-like motion, yet from some angles is quite gentle. The brick rotation motif follows the movement of the cars along the circulation ramp, which can be seen through the semi-transparent façade. These blurry bands are playfully overlaid upon the otherwise strict building geometry. This interpretable motif also evokes geological layers, which refers to the history of the place.

A new and high-grade materiality is created from the combination of an old, traditional building material with contemporary design and construction techniques. Inside the material finds its complete expression as a screen that filters light and illuminates the interior with a warm glow. In the evening the light passes through the gaps of the wall and transforms the parking garage into a glowing structure.

Credits:
Gramazio Kohler Architects, Zurich

In cooperation with: Birk und Heilmeyer Architekten BDA
Client: Entwicklungsgesellschaft Ruhr-Bochum und Stadt Bochum
Collaborators: Gabriel Cuéllar (project lead)
Selected experts: Knippers Helbig Beratende Ingenieure, Stuttgart (structure)