Transforming parking garages Jaarbeursplein in Utrecht

Spring 2011, space&matter initiated a 6-day workshop with the Interior and Public Space master students of the MaHKU about ‘Transforming parking garages’. The parking garage, a crucial building type in our city centres, hasn’t gained a high reputation, nor is it known for its high standard in architectural quality. Innumerable parking garages of this type fill Dutch cities. They were mainly built during the 70s and 80s, when an increasing number of parking space was needed. Little money and a lack of interest produced mono-functional, low standard buildings. Presently, these older garages are aesthetically and technically being renovated, always from a commercial point of view. The lack of socio-cultural relevance and political discourse lead us to initiate this workshop. This book documents the outcome of the workshop and sketches several strategies for the fictive case of the Jaarbeursplein parking garage in Utrecht.