Quote:
Originally Posted by Downburst
I have been following Guardian- I didn't know that was a parking podium. While I agree that it's well-integrated, and while I also agree that such a base can reclaim a little of what might be lost with an above-ground garage, I still think that it is a poorer use of space versus, say, ground-level retail.
You're right about me not being local- I am a Bostonian, and a lot of my of my issues with above-ground garages (and especially ground-level parking) come from their being quite the number of garages and such around town. While some feature some degree of ground-level retail, many have only minimal retail presence or none at all. They are a negative on the pedestrian experience and I'd hate to see that in a city as beautiful as Calgary.
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Well, key is definitely that there still must be ground-level retail. Would certainly not want to see a parkade in place of retail.
Of course, there is also the issue of how a parkade would affect the atrium of such a building so I won't deny there are potential issues...I think my frustration stems from the fact that here in Calgary we have very deep parkades (usually 5 or 6 underground parkade levels) and it takes an insanely long time to build the underground levels of these towers...whereas something like Guardian or Colours has the parking split between parking underground and incorporated into the podium. I think such an arrangement can look well, if properly done.