One of the goals of this project was to bring an element of delight to the public through a normally mundane parking garage. A series of screens animate the façade of the garage, and create a visual order that allows the cast concrete structure to read through. These screens provide security, with some repeating the clay tile color, which is complementary to the green landscape surrounding the project. The corner screens are open at the bottom, and become more opaque as the structure rises. With the high steel arch bridge and dense landscape planting, this project is similar to a visual park that everyone can walk or drive by and enjoy.
The bridge is both functional and symbolic: it provides safe access from a secure parking garage to the Arsenal Campus and it creates a visual gateway for the neighborhood. The 160 foot long bridge uses heavy-bolted steel plates to recall the historic bridges along the San Antonio River, and massive concrete plinths to visually anchor the structure. The open-air bridge is set at a slight angle to the street, creating a dynamic element as one drives by.
This project creates a relationship between clean, bold statements and the simple expression of the craftsmanship. This human-scale is detailed in the steel-workers craft, the cast concrete elements with chipped edges, the clay tile elements, and in the landscape planting. This project is a delight for both pedestrians and vehicular traffic.