The first phase of the master plan for the existing GSA owned land in the Hato Rey area of San Juan, Puerto Rico was to develop the design of the 500 space federal garage and associated access and roadways improvements. It was important that a unified composition be created and a ceremonial entrance to the federal campus reestablished. Aligning the new access road with an existing intersection provided controlled traffic movement into and out of the site. What distinguishes the design of this facility is that it presents a solution that addresses several important goals and objectives of the project while furthering design innovation, garage planning and contextual concerns. Respecting the original vocabulary of the site, the design of the garage achieves an overall cohesive, aesthetic solution. Another important feature of this design is the reallocation of the circulation space to the front of the garage, engaging the users with the outdoors and away from the dark parking spaces. This project takes an alternative approach to traditional means by creating a type of brise-soleil at the exterior perimeter of the garage, overlooking the central campus. The west facade, its most prominent and public face, scribes the open lawn of the federal plaza and guides one from the entry gate to the federal complex. Piers along this west elevation mark the structural module, celebrate verticality and create depth to the facade. Emulating the concrete fins of the existing two buildings, the garage design incorporates resin blades that create a secondary vertical rhythm. These blades appear lightweight, translucent, and rep- resent a more contemporary aesthetic that evokes the technology of our times. Similar to the shading devices on the existing buildings, these fins will mottle the light during the progressive phases of the day and changes in season. The radial nature of the plan will assure that the perception of the facade will be ever-changing as one moves through the site and varies one's viewpoint. Crowning the west elevation of the garage is a long, floating wing that accommodates an array of solar panels, used to charge electric vehicles within the garage. This wing, in consort with additional solar panels, will bring the garage to a Net Zero energy consumption use.
