Molonglo

Some buildings are more glamorous than others. A new recital hall certainly outshines a new carpark but all public infrastructure, when needed and carefully considered, has an important role to play.

Nangari carpark is a recently completed multi-level carpark in Canberra CBD. It’s not an important public building. It won’t redefine the neighbourhood. But after working in this pocket of the city for more than a decade, carparking was the missing urban piece. A tiny wedge of underutilised land behind 221 London Circuit allowed this obvious problem to be addressed.

Despite its verticality by stripping back materials to three basic elements – exposed aggregate precast panels, mill-finished aluminium frames, and galvanised steel balustrades – the building sits quietly, almost elegantly. The lift lobby (so often stark and abrasive in these kinds of buildings) has a gentler quality with natural marmoleum underfoot and soft lighting.

At street level, five new shopfronts form Garage Eats — a small food and retail strip that draws on successful examples of car park eateries from around the world, such as Melbourne’s Soi38.  The carpark is open 24/7, is EV provisioned and has smart license plate recognition technology for seamless entry and exit.

See more about the car park here.