Wiesbaden’s historic centre is one of the few city cores in Germany that was not severely damaged during World War II. Thus, it is still dominated by classical-style buildings from the period between 1850 and 1914. The main challenge of the competition lay in dealing with the ambivalence between the typological demands of a parking garage and the influences determining the small site. An architecturally and urbanistically convincing solution had to be found that also dealt properly with the demands of scale, geometry, constructive flexibility and expression. To achieve this, a strategy of “discreet elegance” was decided upon.
The parking garage holds 400 parking spaces and is organized through a split-level-system, ensuring maximum efficiency on the rather small plot. Inside, the access route serves as a “search run” through all levels. In the upper storeys, cars exit the garage over a separate semicircle ramp. Pedestrians access the half-storeys through two staircases, which are arranged diagonally to each other and are thus easy to find.
In line with the strategy of “discreet elegance”, the design employs a simple but beautiful industrial product: expanded metal with wide, plastic meshes, made up of anodized aluminium. In contrast, the plinth reflects the order of the neighbouring classical-style buildings.
