Designs okayed for Chester parking garage

By Grace Lovins

After a second review by the Birmingham City Commission, schematic designs for interior and exterior updates to the Chester Street parking garage were approved by commissioners during the Monday, August 11, meeting.

The city’s design contractor, BCT Design Group, was directed to continue on to analyze and develop designs for the remaining parking structures.

Commissioners selected BCT Design Group last November to develop interior and exterior aesthetic designs for all five of the city’s parking structures. The designs were expected to include new lighting fixtures and recommendations for locations and lighting controls, paint color selections and artistic elements such as graphics, landscaping and structural design elements.

BCT came to the commission in May to present the initial schematic designs. Based on the feedback from that meeting, BCT came back with more refined details on the artistic elements, signage and lighting.

The designs recommend four spots on the bottom two levels of the structure as opportunities for art installations with the most visibility and public impact. BCT also incorporated opportunities for external art displays on areas on the west side of the garage with lighting.

As part of the commission’s feedback from their previous review, BCT and the city’s parking director, Aaron Ford, worked with Corbin Design, a design firm hired to establish the city’s branded wayfinding signage, to create the designs and markings for the structure. The wayfinding markings in the garage reflects the wayfinding signage designs meant to be placed throughout the city.

Most of the commission’s discussion focused on the opportunities for art or messaging on both the interior and exterior of the garage. Mayor pro tem Clinton Baller, mayor Therese Longe, and commissioners Brad Host and Andrew Haig each recommended bringing the city’s Public Arts Board into the project to provide ideas on various art installations or themes that could be used in the structures. City manager Jana Ecker confirmed that the city will get the board started on developing ideas.

Commissioners voted 7-0 to approve the schematic designs for the Chester Street garage and direct BCT and city staff to begin looking at the city’s remaining four parking structures.