The following writing will explore the 1111 building on the west end of Lincoln road. It will first analyze the building architecturally in an inwardly focused manner then analyze the outward expression and urban qualities of the building and site.
The building is really to be experienced via the car, it is, after all, a parking garage. The ramp and promenade can be somewhat of a Corbusian quotation, but the main idea here is how the ramp transforms from what is typically seen, to something that is more akin to that of a rollercoaster. Even the curbs inside the building are of bent steel tubing reminiscent of a rollercoaster’s tracks. When one pays to park there the fact you get a parking space feels more like a bonus then the purpose of the building. One of the elements that make the promenade so successful is the expert use of expansion and contraction manipulated by varying floor to floor height and lighting. Each floor offers a different experience and the construction type allows for one in a car to feel as if they are moving in section through the building. This is also evident if one walks up or down the central stairs. There are certain moments in the procession that allows one to see floor plates, ramp and parking area as if looking in section. Also this sets this garage apart from others by not having parking space efficiency take the front seat, but space creation and car promenade as the priority, making this project much less about number of cars and more about spaces created and transition through them. Another interesting element of the building is the negation of a typical façade, for the parking portion. Usually it is the only element architects can have some freedom with in a parking garage, but was deleted in this project to display its internal features.
Although the building is a beautiful built form, the urban qualities of the site still leave something desired. The expansion by Raymond Jungle is a beautiful reinterpretation of the Lincoln road paradigm in plan, but in practice loses the scale held by the majority of Lincoln road. In fairness, the areas at the west and east ends of Lincoln road both have this scale change that can be seen as appropriate, almost as entrances from the city to the pedestrian walk. They do not however completely relate to Lincoln road. The major culprit of this disassociation is the manipulation of scale. Where Lincoln road keeps a very low awning and dense tree canopy the 1111 building along with the landscape do not exactly complete these goals. Now the spaces are wide and airy, not intimate and cozy which is the feel, and success of Lincoln road.
Also, proper attention was not given to the sidewalk and façade condition on the side parallel to Alton road. They employed the same storefront and canopy technique they used on the Lincoln road side, and these conditions could not be more different. It also seems to be the only area that has not been occupied by a business. Perhaps because the space is made uncomfortable by keeping the same height line overhead from the Lincoln road side, for a space that horizontally has shrunk immensely. It feels as if the building is pushing you out into the street. Another odd, albeit interesting gesture is the passageway through the building. I understand the stair and elevators need an entrance, but when one walks through this passage they feel they are about to stumble upon a hidden gem (like what happens at books and books) but are sadly disappointed. I like the passage but feel that this could have been made with more intention.
The building overall is truly a success and a wonderful addition to Miami’s list of buildings, It just seems that some extra care would have taken the building a bit farther urbanistically.
An example of the idea of viewing the building in section thought the promenade. This is also the beginning and ending point of the ramp
Scale of the Lincoln road facade and vegetation
Expanding and contracting floor plates
scale of the Alton road facade and uninhabited spaces
1 comment:
Do you literally mean that the experience of driving through the garage is equivalent to being on a roller-coaster?? Or do you mean the HdM's 1111 is like a ride in that the procession, not the destination, is what's emphasized?
What is the experience of each of the variably spaced floors? How does this link back to your analysis of Lincoln Road? Does the variable spacing of the floor plates share the 'wide and airy' versus 'intimate and cozy' rhythm of the promenade? With that in mind, does your reading to the west expansion map to a particular condition within 1111?
Also keep in mind that there are multiple kinds of densities at multiple timescales within the original promenade. Foliage takes many decades to fill in, where as tourist follow seasonal temporal cycles to fill in, whereas the diners follow hourly temporal cycles to fill in Lincoln Road. Which will the new expansion get over time? Can you speculate on how can it grow denser??
Post a Comment