FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — Located at the crossroads of the Fairfax County Government Center, Fairfax County Public Safety Building, and the thriving Fairfax Corner mixed-use development, the recently completed Monument Drive Commuter Parking Garage and Transit Center has become a new landmark rising along the I-66 beltway. This project is a testament to the collaborative efforts of design and construction professionals in creating innovative parking solutions that seamlessly blend functionality with aesthetics. Parking structures can be more than utilitarian facilities—they can be architectural icons that shape urban landscapes and serve as vital transportation infrastructure components.
Designed by HGA Architects and constructed by Howard Shockey & Sons, Inc., the parking structure features a custom cladding exterior façade. The $43 million, 262,000-square-foot commuter center features an eight-level parking structure, indoor/outdoor bicycle storage, ride-sharing pick-up and drop-off zones, and a bus transit facility. The facility has solar panels on the roof and three building canopies, which include a 10,000+ square foot aluminum framing and glass canopy for the bus facility.
Custom-Fabricated Cladding
The Monument Drive project showcases the aesthetic potential of custom-fabricated building facades and canopies, elevating the transit center’s visual appeal while complementing the surrounding environment. An aluminum system with textured terracotta fluoropolymer finish coatings to emulate clay terracotta was introduced as a value-engineered option, reducing costs and installation time while maintaining architectural integrity. With the façade attached at each floor level and the need to allow for differential deflections, design and constructability concerns arose with the rigid nature of true terracotta. Aluminum offered several benefits, including the ability to preassemble the panels, providing greater quality control, and greatly reducing the material and installation labor costs. Another benefit of aluminum versus a clay façade was that it is a much lighter material — reducing structural loads on the building. In addition, although terracotta has appeal as a “green” material, aluminum offers the advantage of being post-recyclable. Custom extrusion clip accommodates garage structure differential deflections and thermal movement. “Using the custom, terracotta-coated aluminum for the façade provided several benefits,” said Michael Schwartz, Project Designer at HGA. “We could achieve the design vision for the project with a much lighter, scalable, modular design. The cost savings alone for this solution was $2 million,” he said.
Dynamic Differential Deflection
Dynamic differential deflection, the movement of parking structures under load, poses challenges that demand collaborative solutions. If a façade is rigid, over time, the façade will be pulled and displaced, causing maintenance, repair, and aesthetic issues. Early team collaboration was essential to ensure the structural integrity and longevity of the façade. To accommodate differential deflection between the parking structure floors, a custom sliding clip was designed to connect the façade while allowing these fluctuations.
Artistic Expression
Parking structures offer unique opportunities for artistic expression, transforming utilitarian facilities into architectural landmarks. The Monument Drive project showcases the aesthetic potential of custom-fabricated building facades and canopies, elevating the transit center’s visual appeal while complementing the surrounding environment. HGA’s lighting designer selected lights to highlight the exterior aluminum tube cladding and cornice. By embracing innovative façade materials and various design elements, architects and fabricators can enhance the urban fabric with parking structures that create memorable user experiences. Creative lighting highlights the architectural elements of the parking structure and canopy.
Lighting Design and Sustainability
Lighting is an important design component; not only for aesthetics, but to control and manage vehicular headlight and other light emissions from the building to neighboring areas. Coordination of lighting design for safety is another critical aspect, requiring collaboration among lighting designers, architects, and electrical engineers to ensure adequate illumination for security and wayfinding while minimizing light pollution. John Kemper, Sr. Associate for HGA, points to the unique design of the lit single-run stair tower and exterior lighting on the Monument Drive project. “The glazing and lighting of the façade celebrates the structural quality and is a statement advocating Fairfax County’s commitment to community and sustainability,” commented Kemper. For Monument Drive, integrating solar panels on the roof and building canopies reduces energy consumption and environmental impact while enhancing the facility’s functionality.
Collaboration & Partnership
The Monument Drive Commuter Parking Garage and Transit Center is a compelling case study in collaborative design and construction practices for parking structures. By embracing value engineering, materials selection, early design involvement, and innovative façade solutions, architects, fabricators, and builders can create parking facilities that meet functional requirements, enrich the urban landscape, and enhance the quality of life for communities.
As we look to the future of parking structure design, collaboration will remain central to achieving sustainable, resilient, and aesthetically pleasing solutions that stand the test of time.
Source: Excerpted from Parking & Mobility’s June 2024 issue, “Lessons from a Rising Landmark” by Kevin Smith. Read the original story here.