Glass Facade

Neumann Monson Architects

Recognitions: AIA Iowa 2020 Craft Award

Project Description

The East 2nd Street Parking Facility represents the first phase of a pedestrian-minded redevelopment block in Des Moines’ East Village, facing City Hall. The facility’s post-tensioned concrete structure accommodates 540 parking spaces on six levels. Mixed-use buildings will flank the structure to the north and south. Along the east and west elevations, cantilevered slab edges support permeable walls of glass scales. The wall’s glazing assembly consists of floor-to-floor, 40” x 136” glass panels, installed with adjustable swivel fittings anchored to galvanized steel verticals. The wall’s porosity varies based on ventilation needs, with maximum gap widths sized to address guardrail opening requirements. Panels shingle horizontally and vertically to maximize ventilation and minimize rain and snow penetration. On the east façade, the angled panels open to the summer’s prevailing, southern winds. On the west façade, they narrow to the winter’s prevailing, northern winds. In addition to eliminating the need for stair tower mechanical ventilation, the glass wall provides shelter, visibility, and passive security to the facility’s cantilevered pedestrian circulation zone. Transparency also varies from floor to floor, with opacity increasing toward the top to shield adjacent buildings from headlight glare. The glazing’s visual modulation complements the system’s site-specific passive ventilation to provide a performative, three-dimensional scrim between the parking facility and the city.