.jpg?width=1000&name=Maples%20cultural%20car%20parks%20photo%20(1).jpg "Maples cultural car parks photo (1)")
Car parks not only provide towns and cities with practical benefits, but their façade elements can also help tell a story.
It’s widely acknowledged that car park façades have evolved significantly over the years to keep up with the changing urban landscape. This evolution is also due to a growing expectation for these developments to make an architectural impact.
One way in which they can do this is by incorporating design elements that resonate with the area’s heritage, landmarks, or cultural motifs to provide a cultural statement and tell a story. Here are Maple’s most impressive cultural car parks.
PADDINGTON CENTRAL MSCP (2021)
The design of Paddington multi-storey car park was the brainchild of KKA architects in Liverpool. The series of fully perforated, partly perforated and partly solid panels create an intriguing design intended to reflect a key piece of Liverpool's history: The Williamson Tunnels. The tunnels can be found underneath the streets of Liverpool and date back to the 19th century. Their purpose is still up for debate, although some historians suggest that they were used for smuggling contraband or as a place of refuge.
To achieve this abstract vision, the façade features a very bespoke design, in which each of the 2,000 panels is unique and assigned a specific location.
The historic nature of Paddington MSCP’s façade not only provides a nod to Liverpool’s history but is also part of the cultural regeneration of Paddington Central Quarter into a central hub for life science, medical and knowledge industries.
kings dock mscp (2020)
Another project commemorating Liverpool’s rich past, the design of King’s Dock car park serves as a homage to the city’s maritime history.
Aluminium panels featuring a laser-cut pattern of ships cloak the entire car park which can be located at Monarch’s Quay on Liverpool’s waterfront. The intricate patterns on each on the panels also give the façade a ‘fishing net’ appearance, further cementing the nautical theme.
Due to the number of perforations in the design and the windy, exposed location of the car park, Maple worked closely with Leach Rhodes Walker and Vinci to ensure the practicality of the façade. For example, the panels were tested in a wind tunnel and modified to withstand winds of up to 120mph.
SMITHFIELD MSCP (2023)
Smithfield car park in Stoke-on-Trent marks Maple’s latest cultural car park. The asymmetric shape of 200 fins that make up the façade was inspired by the famous World War Two Spitfire aircraft whose creator, Reginald Mitchell, was born in Stoke.
Not only did Maple’s design provide a homage to Stoke’s history, but coincidentally so did our engineering approach. The design of the Spitfire facilitated its mass production during the war and similarly, our simplified folded fin design enabled efficient manufacture and minimised wastage.
Overall, the design of Smithfield car park is not only an impressive addition to the Stoke skyline but also a touching tribute to one of it’s most revolutionary residents.
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TIME SQUARE MSCP (2018)
The intriguing golden hexagon design of Time Square Car Park was also conceptualised by Leach Rhodes Walker and intended to reflect the local identity of Warrington. The Cheshire town is renowned for its iconic golden gates, which have featured outside the Town Hall for over a century. Additionally, the architects drew inspiration from Warrington's historic wire rope industry to create a design that resonates with the town’s heritage while also creating a visual impact.
The resulting concept for the façade comprised a series of backlit perforated panels with golden hexagonal cut-outs which mask the main exterior of the expansive 1,200-space multi-storey car park. The design of the car park also put it in the running for ‘People’s Choice – Building of the Decade - Cheshire and North Derbyshire’ so who said car parks could only be functional?
BROADMARSH BUS STATION AND CAR PARK (2021)
Broadmarsh car park was completed in collaboration with Leonard Design Architects, whose design concept was intended to ‘embrace the City of Nottingham, its history, culture, sporting legacy, local character and its people.’ The façade features a range of striking architectural elements that are not only impactful but also hold significance in terms of Nottingham’s history. The rich red hues of the terracotta tiles and fins are inspired by local architecture, most notably the new Nottingham College and heritage buildings nearby. Also, laser cut panels feature motif designs of leaves with quotes about the city's natural beauty to celebrate the city’s cultural impact.
Broadmarsh provides a great example of how modern car parks can make a cultural statement as it served as a replacement for a previous car park that was donned one of the ugliest buildings in the city. Now, with Maple’s help, its replacement is regarded as an important city landmark and has won numerous awards such as the Collaboration and Integration Award at the Constructing Excellence Awards in 2022.
