The assignment called for a public building that transcends its function as a parking garage and whose representation fits its strategic position in the classically designed centre of Leidsche Rijn.We propose an understated icon that interprets the classic urban principles in a contemporary way and integrates new public uses in order to shape the civic space of the new centre.

The hyper efficient parking solution consists of a system with two central ramps surrounded by a one-way driving lane, along which the parking places are arranged in a double row along the long sides and a single row on the short sides. The parking places arranged in a 70 degrees angle together with the one-way traffic guarantee a comfortable and safe driving experience. In between the two ramps, a void running along all floors brings natural light deep into the building.

The volume is divided vertically in the classical tripartite way. An arched concrete colonnade marks the commercial spaces on the ground level along the main square. A set-back pergola, a continuation of the structure grid, crowns the volume at the roof level, anticipating the future extension with two parking floors. In between, perforated screens of exposed brick wrap the building on all sides, giving it an omni-directional character. The traditional bricks create a skin sufficiently open to ventilate naturally but with enough mass for a strong architectural and urban presence, relating it to the surrounding buildings. The bricks are laid in Flemish bond with two types of perforations, composing a pattern of arrows which runs around the building and indicates the driving direction of the cars. The building-high graphic gives rhythm to the facade, while the perforations give it plasticity. At night, the intriguing image of a luminous brick mass with arrow symbols is reinforced, communicating in a subtle way the function of the building to the outside.

The vertical circulation is bundled in two corner towers whose height is already adapted for the future extension. The tower situated at the corner of the main square is inspired by the one at Berlage’s Stock Exchange in Amsterdam, forming an unmistakable city symbol. It formalizes the end of the monumental colonnade of the adjacently situated boulevard with a portal which marks the main entrance. The tower is topped by a floating expanded metal volume in the same color tone as the masonry, which serves as a universal billboard and makes the tower prominently visible from the A2 motorway and the train station. Underneath the billboard, a cut in the volume allows for a viewing platform offering a panoramic view of the new city and the surrounding landscape. The analogue clock on the side of the main square is an intentional anachronism, meant to reinforce, the civic character of the building.