[emerging from a parking lot]

Sitting just west and north of armory square, two vacant lots [highlighted in orange] are currently being used for parking. Some may argue that this is exactly the use the plots should remain serving, as parking is a high-demand commodity in the downtown core. Indeed, parking is needed to allow people from the suburbs to visit and interact with the city, yet the apparent parking shortage is merely a false perception. More land downtown is actually used for parking cars than is occupied by buildings for people. The reason parking is such a big issue could be any number of sources--public transportation is underutilized as its scheduling is inconveniet while the car allows a greater range and punctuality; there is an apparent need to park as close as possible to the destination, rather than stroll for a few blocks [partly due to weather, but moreso due to the suburban strip malls that have trained us in this manner]; the actual downtown population isn't very great, so few people live within walking distance of work and amenities; most garages, while appropriately densifying parking spaces, are more pricey than their open-lot counterparts. Not all these problems can be addressed in a cure-all project, but my current design work is attempting to tackle some of these issues, among others.

Sure the project may not be able to replace all the parking it consumes, but it will add so much more benefit to the area than its cost in parking spaces. Actually two buildings [one on each site], the program [an architectural term that basically means the uses of a building] will be mixed use in nature, expanding and adding to the existing vibrancy of adjacent Armory Square. Striving to create another pocket of 24 hour vibrancy hinging on the Warehouse [highlighted in yellow], housing--both market rate, and affordable student--office space and retail space are the staples of such an endeavor. The design shall accomodate not only these uses though; any number of additional programmatic elements can be inserted and created--bowling alley, movie theater, botanical gardens, rockcliming, etc...I'm still wrestling with all the possibilities.