Cal Poly needed a parking structure to serve daily campus users, as well as visitors to the Performing Arts Center. Prior to construction, many members of the university community expressed concerns about the structure’s size and its aesthetics. Since it would be the largest building on campus, they were worried about its visual impact on the new Performing Arts Center.
Watry Design provided services from Feasibility through Construction and met the design challenges with a structure that both fits well into its environment and provides a subtle statement of structural elegance. By nestling the structure into the hillside and tapering the corners, the Watry Team reduced the mass of the parking structure. To provide visual continuity, they selected materials that match the masonry on the Performing Arts Center and literally connected the structures with pedestrian bridges that cover sloping terrain. The project's scope also included creating a new parking structure entrance road and a new drop off area for the Performing Arts Center.
The design allows for views of the mountains from the Performance Arts Center Plaza and the residence halls and uses internal lightwells for natural light and ventilation.
The work was performed by Watry Design Group.
Project Details
- Owner: California Polytechnic State University
- Project Status: Completed 2000
- Parking Stalls: 936
- Levels: 4
- Total Sq Ft: 311,150
- Sq Ft per Stall: 332
- Total Project Cost: $8,839,000
- Per Stall Cost: $9,443
