The next time you find yourself in need of a parking spotting in Utrecht (been there!), steer yourself towards this new garage. Not only will you be able to park your car, you’ll also be able to get in a little belaying practice — thanks to its two climbing walls, which run along the edge of the building’s slabs.
The garage is part of an OMA-designed masterplan for the University of Utrecht, and it includes plenty of traditional amenities, like a bike shelter and a public transit connection. Its distinctive sloping floors house 2000 parking spots, too, which makes it the largest parking garage in the province. But the real highlight here? The two off-kilter slabs of climbing wall that its architects — KCAP Architects & Planners and studioSK — have mounted on the building’s facade:
And while climbing down from your car to the bus is a hilarious and wonderful idea, there’s a latent brilliance to this idea, too: If we must have ugly parking garages, then let’s at least make them useful to people who don’t necessarily use them. [studioSK; ArchDaily]
