Park life

Sheppard Robson is taking the topography of the Lake District and wrapping it around its new car park in Penrith

CONSTRUCTION IS underway on Sheppard Robson’s extraordinary timber-clad car park in Penrith.

The futuristic £7m-multi-storey car park for the new Southend Road New Squares development literally takes the topography of the Lake District and wraps it around the three-level concrete car park. By replicating a linear strip of Cumbria, at scale, across the façade of the building it has provided variety, interest and intrigue to what might otherwise be seen as an expansive building façade.

Bowmer and Kirkland has started work on the project and when it is completed towards the end of next year, it will accommodate more than 1,000 cars.

For many years car parks have not been considered worthy of architectural consideration. The lack of attention has resulted in ill-conceived albeit functional concrete boxes of no aesthetic merit.

However, architects are now beginning to recognise the significance of this building typology and how it can make a valuable contribution to its wider context and surroundings.

It is within this climate that Sheppard Robson, in conjunction with the developer, Lowther Manelli and the consultant team developed designs for the new car park at Penrith New Squares development.

The scale of the 250m-long elevation is cited as a great opportunity to create an engaging, sensitive
yet challenging sculptural work of architecture which is inspired by, and rooted in, its surroundings; a project which is both sustainable and functional.

“Car parks are far less restrictive in many respects than other building typologies,” says Sheppard Robson associate, Rodi MacArthur. “They are not required to be water tight or insulated and they don’t require views in or out. This freedom creates an opportunity to develop concepts, which are at the forefront of architectural debate.”

The modularity of the façade creates a variety of shadow patterns throughout the day and year as the sun moves across the building.

The sliced façade consists of a dense series of vertical timber fins specially cut to recreate the shape of the topography. Timber planks are 40mm wide by 300mm deep, and are set at a pitch of approximately 150mm.

They are preassembled in 1,500 wide panels using horizontal timber bearers to form independent self-bearing units ready to be installed onto the main structure. Installation is carried out by connecting the horizontal timber bearers back to the concrete structure.

Panels are supported at the bottom and restrained at the top. A slight slope will be given to each fin top and bottom and also to the horizontal transom, to facilitate rainwater run off.

“In developing this concept we have ensured that the outlook for the neighbouring residents is responsive in terms of scale and form,“ says MacArthur. “It is a unique reaction to the conventional blank concrete façade of car parks across the UK.”