Parking garages are often architectural afterthoughts. Monolithic and utilitarian, they rarely offer more than the necessary housing of cars for other more aesthetic structures. "It's an expense a developer generally doesn't like, but it is a necessary evil to make his development successful," says
Len Tsupros, president of
Carl Walker Construction, a design firm that specializes in parking garages. However, as cities become larger and as transportation technology changes, the role and function of the parking garage has to be redefined. Here are some of the world's most interesting, innovative and just plain bizarre parking garages.
Car Silos at the Autostadt
Location: Wolfsburg, Germany
Background:
Volkswagen's Autostadt—an automotive-themed amusement park—includes a car museum, driving courses, car-factory tours and these 20-story car silos.
Why It's Unique:
European VW buyers can opt to pick up their cars from the robotic car silo instead of the dealership—the automation ensures they will receive a car with an odometer that reads zero. After spending a day enjoying the park, customers watch the central robotic arm travel up the tower and choose their vehicle from the beehive of cars.
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