A unique program combines a public parking facility with a post office, customs house, 118
NET[WORK] blake smith, laura wagner
and markets into a communityoriented The
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recreate community interaction as both a scheduled and spontaneous event, and to connect the business and tourist districts that have been split by the San Antonio Riverwalk site. Our objective is to enhance traditional ideas of how people commute, shop, stand in line, and converse, while they wait to send letters and packages or cruise along the vertical freeway. Continuity and sequence of exchange, between and within each respective program, fueled a design that focused on movement and adaptability. As space decreases and energy conservation efforts increase, cars will become both smaller and fewer. This trend will encourage Americans to seek alternate means of travel, which requires a more community-oriented mindset. We expect that car sharing, public transit, and other more environmentally conscious modes of transport, such as biking and walking, will grow in popularity as cars dwindle in size and economic availability. Access to the parking spaces in the project will be limited to out-of-towners, weekend tourists, and commuters. A modern trip to the post office means a grueling experience of long lines and slow receptionists. In our project proposal, automated transactions streamline the shipping process with touch-screen displays, package chutes and conveyors, security, backstage workers, and delivery trucks. Market spaces dispersed throughout the building create nodes of community engagement, which encourage users to explore diverse spatial experiences and which provide for the emergence of new uses. A daily farmer’s market selling fresh produce supplies a locally-owned restaurant; creating a continuous and sustainable loop from farm to market. An indoor flea market and outdoor car boot sale provide both structured and unstructured opportunities for local vendors to interact directly with consumers. Designed to evolve with time, the continuous car ramp is made of modular concrete units that can be replaced with pedestrian-friendly modules. Planter and podium modules for market vendors gradually replace parking spaces as need for parking decreases. In time, what once was reserved for machines can be reclaimed by people as parking transforms to a vertical park. matt fajkus, francisco gomes : technical communications studio, sp2011