A Transport Hub

S I T E   A N A L Y S I S:

Located in the centre of New York State, Onondaga County is home to the City of Syracuse. The site is surrounded by mixed uses such as residential areas, universities, museums, and parks. On the north side of the site, there is Burt Street; on the south side, there is Van Buren Street; on the east, an open plot; and on the west, S McBride Street. Currently the site is used as an open parking lot, as shown in the photographs. Due to mixed uses surrounding the site and the residential areas, there is a need for a multistorey car park along with amenities such as a mall, a children’s creche, a restaurant, and indoor sports areas for the elderly. These amenities are essential in this neighbourhood, as they attract young crowds from Syracuse University and people of all ages from the rest of the residential areas. A car park for 300 cars along with the amenities mentioned above has been proposed as a solution to the pressing needs of the neighbourhood. The entrance to the site is from S McBride Street on the West.

A R C H I T E C T U R A L   P L A N N I N G:

All the amenities are located on the first three floors, and the parking is on the floors above, which can be accessed from internal staircases and the lifts. There are two ramps of 4m width on the north and south sides of the building, one for the upward movement and the other for the downward movement of the vehicles. There are 18 cars on each floor, and there are 17 such floors in the building. The height of each floor is 5 m, which accommodates the services and the structural beams. The elevation treatment is kept simple yet attractive from its commercial viewpoint. The elevation matches the simple character of the neighbourhood, and it becomes the landmark tower that hides all its services from the external face with the help of a glass facade. The pergola feature on every third floor adds to the beauty of the structure, breaks monotony and plays with shades and shadows in elevation. The horizontal slabs and parapet help in balancing the vertical nature of the structure.

A M E N T I E S   A N D   F A C I L I T I E S:

The Strathmore neighbourhood on the southwest side and the Scottholm neighbourhood on the southeast side of the site are the main areas that need these amenities and are the most attractive places. Also, Syracuse University and other public parks such as Thornden Park, Kirk Park, and Upper Onondaga Park are the areas where a parking facility is required. All these areas attract crowds of all ages and genders for the amenities, such as a mall, a theme restaurant, an indoor games facility and a library for the elderly clubbed with a children’s creche. The design of the parking building for 300 cars, ‘A Transport Hub’, not only becomes the most functional space in the neighbourhood but also becomes the landmark building with a total height of 100 metres. The mall caters to all the basic needs of the neighbourhood, whereas a theme restaurant welcomes families from the neighbourhoods and other visitors. Indoor games, library and crèche are clubbed together purposefully for better interaction.

S E R V I C E S   A N D   S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y:

The site location in New York state, which has a cold climate, and the parking facility and other associated amenities in the building are used only for a short period of time. The design enables zero wastage on cost and equipment for heating systems used in this building. A simple glass facade captures the heat from the atmosphere, and the building gets heated by means of natural resources. There are two lifts and two fire staircases on each floor. People visiting only the amenities can directly enter the building on foot or park their cars on the upper floors and use lifts or staircases to access lower floors where the amenities are. The location of lifts and staircases are planned in such a way that they not only give access to vertical circulation but also slow down the speed of cars that are using the ramps on the north and south sides of the building. Thus, services in the building are designed intelligently and sustainably with optimum resource mobilisation.