GEORGE WASHINGTON AUTOPARK

When the Owner of the local construction company drove around the block looking for a parking structure before realizing he had passed it, we knew the design was a success. Multiple firms provided designs for this parking structure located within the City of Winchester’s Historic District. DESIGN CONCEPTS’ design was selected from the entries because of its unique approach to the design of the structure, choosing to clad the structure in precast wall panels that emulated the historic district vocabulary.

As reported in Building Design + Construction magazine: "…we were trying to blend in with the historic fabric of downtown," says Tim Machado, AIA. "The challenge was, 'How can we provide a good-looking parking structure in the historic district?' The way we achieved that was to look at the common architectural features of nearby buildings. We worked closely (with the General Contractor and Concrete Precaster) to formulate panels that could replicate those common elements in terms of texture, color and thickness."

The façade of this 7-story, 547 space, open parking structure emulates the limestone bases and brick masonry of many of the surrounding buildings. The design maximizes parking on a tight site while complementing and blending in with the surrounding historical structures. A pedestrian bridge connects the parking structure to the adjacent Frederick County Office Complex while the lower level provides much needed parking for the newly renovated historic George Washington Hotel.

2012 PCI Design Awards Honorable Mention

Other Parking Structures we designed...