Initial Site Impressions

My initial impression of the site is that it is completely void of any sense of place. The rooftop is not anchored to any of the surrounding urban fabric by orientation, shape, or similarity. This is not to say that there are no opportunities to have our design respond to the urban environment in a meaningful way and create a sense of place.

On one side of the site, there are a number of buildings in the skyline that could provide a meaningful orientation to our development including the state capitol and the hancock bank building. On the west side of the site, the river view provides an opportunity for a compelling natural orientation.

Incidentally, this parking structure plays a large role in Baton Rouge’s Downtown Master Plan. Planners have decided that they want an entertainment venue to anchor the north end of Third St. adjacent to the Hancock building across the street. Our parking structure will no doubt play a large role in accommodating the additional traffic generated by this entertainment venue.

Some challenges to the site are integrating our structure with the current parking structure, keeping our impact on the current use of the structure (for parking) minimal, providing adequate shading from the intense Baton Rouge heat, and creating a comfortable and natural outdoor environment.

My initial thoughts on developing this project are to orient it to Third St. to align it with the developing entertainment and arts district. This orientation also allows us to use landmarks in the urban skyline to inform our design. This north-south orientation will minimize direct exposure to sunlight from the south and help control solar heat gain. I’d like my design to be read as separate from the parking garage, but integrated with activities at ground level. The first objective can be achieved by simply stepping my structure back and not aligning it with any of the garage’s main volume. Connecting my building to activities on the ground may be a more challenging task that requires some experimentation.