A registered National Historic Landmark, Fair Park is the 227-acre home to the State Fair of Texas and various cultural institutions in Dallas, Tex. In 2020, Fair Park revised its masterplan to include a 14-acre Community Park and a parking garage. Designed by Gensler, the Fair Park Fitzhugh Parking Structure recently won the AIA Dallas Chapter Unbuilt Design Award.
The garage will have 1,650 parking spaces over five stories. In an attempt to design a large concrete parking structure that’s sensitive to its surrounding community, the team placed part of Community Park on top of the garage structure, making it an extension of the park.
To connect the park to the garage’s top deck, the design uses both earth berms and structural berms. On the surface of the north berm, an immersive outdoor experience includes a prairie landscape, viewing deck, shading canopies, shading platform, and rooftop event deck. With concessions and restrooms, the rooftop deck can be used for public and private events. Beneath the north berm lies 80,000 square feet of operational facilities for Fair Park and Community Park.
With a 47-foot ascent to the top of the garage, the project makes the structure’s height an asset for the park, offering views of the adjacent neighborhood, Fair Park, and downtown. It also creates a new, distinctive public space for Dallas. The project’s shape takes inspiration from the region’s limestone ridges and the park’s prairie-inspired landscape, blending and unifying the garage structure with its surroundings. The parking structure aims to incentivize wellness by encouraging people to walk rather than use the elevator.
On the Building Team:
Owner and developer: Fair Park First
Design architect and architect of record: Gensler
Associate architect: Moody Nolan
MEP engineer: DFW Consulting Group
Structural engineer: Ponce-Fuess Engineering
General contractor/construction manager: VCC and Con-Real
Parking consultant: WGI
Civil engineer: Pacheco Koch
Related Stories
Arenas | Jul 15, 2022
U. of Oregon renovation aims for ‘finest track and field facility in the world’
The renovation of the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field had the goal of creating the “finest track and field facility in the world.”
Building Team | Jul 14, 2022
ABC’s construction backlog inches lower in June; Contractor confidence falters
Associated Builders and Contractors reports today that its Construction Backlog Indicator fell 0.1 months in June and stands at 8.9 months, according to an ABC member survey conducted June 21 to July 5.
Sustainable Development | Jul 14, 2022
Designing for climate change and inclusion, with CBT Architects' Kishore Varanasi and Devanshi Purohit
Climate change is having a dramatic impact on urban design, in terms of planning, materials, occupant use, location, and the long-term effect of buildings on the environment. Joining BD+C's John Caulfield to discuss this topic are two experts from the Boston-based CBT Architects: Kishore Varanasi, a Principal and director of urban design; and Devanshi Purohit, an Associate Principal.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 14, 2022
Multifamily rents rise again in June, Yardi Matrix reports
Average U.S. multifamily rents rose another $19 in June to edge over $1,700 for the first time ever, according to the latest Yardi® Matrix Multifamily Report.
Building Team | Jul 14, 2022
Austin PBS gets a new state-of-the-art facility with three studios
Since the 1970s, Austin PBS, birthplace of the Austin City Limits TV series, has been based inside the communications building on the University of Texas campus—a space it has long outgrown.
Building Team | Jul 13, 2022
The YIMBY movement emerges as valuable advocate for affordable housing
Over the past few decades, developers grew accustomed to nothing but staunch opposition to dense affordable housing project proposals.
Energy | Jul 13, 2022
Electrification of buildings, new and old, furthers environmental responsibility and equity
It’s almost a cliché in our industry, but nonetheless: The greenest building is the one that is already built.
Building Team | Jul 13, 2022
Austin’s newest entertainment and hospitality complex has been made from repurposed shipping containers
A new entertainment and hospitality complex in Austin, The Pitch, has been made out of repurposed shipping containers.
Codes and Standards | Jul 12, 2022
USGBC sets out principles for LEED’s future
The U.S. Green Building Council recently published a report containing principles outlining how LEED will evolve.
Building Team | Jul 12, 2022
10 resource reduction measures for more efficient and sustainable biopharma facilities
Resource reduction measures are solutions that can lead to lifecycle energy and cost savings for a favorable return on investment while simultaneously improving resiliency and promoting health and wellness in your facility.
