08 Multi Species Garage
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enabling bottom-up spatial transformation
The ecosystem-concept strategies lead to a substantial transformation of the existing parking lot at the site, making way for arguably more valuable spaces. However, parking facilities are still in demand and, reflecting active mobility trends, are likely to continue being necessary, albeit to a lesser extent. The ISEK, referenced earlier in this work, proposes repurposing the multistory Esperanto garage in another area of Fulda. This garage, with its modular structure, can be easily disassembled and rebuilt at the site.
To leverage the already existing bottom-up interests of the neighborhood community, the garage will be adapted to add value beyond parking. By removing one floor, the structure will be less imposing than its original form, and with added roofing that relates to the intersection of industrial and residential areas, the garage will assume a new aesthetic.
The top floors will be dedicated to urban agriculture, fostering new practices in food production and public spaces that form symbiotic relationships with the new culture center, the Backhaus, and shared living spaces.
The parking levels on the lower floors will be accessible by public elevators and can be utilized as cultural extensions, such as for markets or exhibition spaces.
To enhance the garage‘s appearance, which is currently characterized by grey steel and concrete, terraces and balconies will be installed around the structure. These additions will not only extend space for gardening but also create habitats for insects, birds, and urban wildlife. The juxtaposition of top-down and bottom-up approaches, as well as the multi-species design incorporating flora, fauna, and humans, enriches the functionality of the once monotonous parking garage.
The principle of re-allocation of space is applied from multiple perspectives. The human protagonist‘s role will shift from car parking to an urban community and cultural space with intermediate uses, enriched by the spatial extension and adaptation of the structure‘s upper levels into areas for urban farming, thus providing habitats for flora and fauna.