Getting in at the basement level Author: Stephen Crafti Date: 24/02/2006 Publication: The Financial Review
Residential architects are devising ever more subtle solutions to the parking dilemma, writes Stephen Crafti.
Car parking requirements can significantly affect the design of a home. Whether it's a detached house, semi-detached or a boutique apartment block, creating sufficient parking is a fundamental concern for architects.
As land size diminishes with increasing land costs, the best option is often basement or underground parking.
Architect Chris de Campo replaced an old Edwardian house with two three-storey houses in Kooyong, Melbourne. Each townhouse comprises basement car parking for two cars.
"Our client wanted to park two cars, as well as have a basement office and guest bedroom. We had to excavate 11/2 metres into a hill to allow for the three-storey home," says de Campo.
The basement garage, about 40 square metres, is towards the front of the site, directly below the front terrace.
The office sits behind the garage, separated by a light well. A steel grille embedded in the north-facing patio provides filtered light into the garage, as well as into the basement office.
"We wanted to conceal the garage in the building. We didn't want it to be a prominent fixture from the street," says de Campo, who clad both the steel frame garage and fence in timber. "The owners can drive in and walk upstairs to the living areas," he says. And as each townhouse is relatively large, approximately 330 sq m, the basement garages allowed the grounds around both properties to be freed up. The basement garages also feature generous built-in storage areas to remove some of the excess "baggage" from inside.
Architect Donna Brzezinski, a director of BG Architecture, often includes basement car parking in her homes. One house, in Brighton, Melbourne, features basement parking for three cars. The architects had to excavate almost 21/2 metres into the ground to create the basement garage, measuring approximately 9 metres wide by 7 metres in depth. The width of the garage is not apparent from the street, with the single drive crossover widening significantly to 8 metres after a bend. Dense planting along the driveway also diminishes the prominence of the basement.
BG Architecture partially clad the home's facade with meteon (similar to fibre cement sheeting) including the garage door. "When the door is closed, you're not even aware there's an opening," says Brzezinski, who modulated the facade with rendered brick and bluestone cladding.
While a basement garage like the one in the Brighton house provides an alternative to unsightly garages, it comes at a significant cost. "It can add 10 to 20 per cent to the overall construction costs," says Brzezinski.
"And often, it doesn't just include a garage. People get excited by this found space and want to include extras, such as storage areas or even a laundry," she adds. The cost of basement car parking is partially driven by the technology required to be installed, a pump together with adequate waterproofing. "This basement is fully 'tanked'. It's like putting in a swimming pool," says Brzezinski, referring to the rubberised paint and agricultural drains surrounding the basement.
Architect Karen Alcock, a director of Neometro Architects, included basement car parking in a boutique apartment block in Prahran, Melbourne. The architects excavated almost an entire level to provide 11 spaces. "It's a relatively small site (560 square metres). We wanted to free up as much open space at ground level as possible," says Alcock, who designed the driveway around the site's established lemon-scented gum.
Often the number of car spaces provided determines the number of apartments that can be built. With council requirements of one car space for every two-bedroom dwelling and two spaces for a three-bedroom, finding sufficient space often requires substantial excavation.
"But the cost. . .can be justified," says Alcock. "You just have to look at the views from the apartments. They're surrounded by gardens, not cars."