Nutwood Parking Facility at California State University Fullerton

From its living wall system of bamboo and flowering vines to its stalls designed for electric cars, this parking facility is designed to be green.

AC Martin, California State University Fullerton master plan architect, designed a 2,541-car facility to consolidate several open lots that were scattered throughout the campus for the 30,000 students, faculty, and employees. Completed in late 2006, the five-story, 2,541-car facility marks a new main entry at the southwest corner of the campus, which faces a residential neighborhood, and brings a sustainable sensibility to the campus, which is “greening” its campus.

AC Martin conceived a living wall system of fast-growing bamboo and flowering vines, a green screen that wraps around three sides of the structure. As a contemporary and environmentally sensitive alternative to the usual construction of thick concrete fronted by a traditional colonnade of trees, the living walls will generate oxygen, soften the building’s massing, and allow for greater ventilation and visibility through the structure. The greenery also makes a contextual nod to the campus’ site history, formerly 228 acres of orange groves.

 “Our design exhibits the ecological commitment that CSU Fullerton has toward the campus community and the greater public,” explains AC Martin President Ken Lewis. Anticipating increased use of alternative energy, AC Martin has even equipped the parking structure with a series of stalls for electric cars. To maintain sensible energy use and increase user safety, energy-efficient fluorescent lights are equipped with motion detectors and the interior slabs and beams are painted white to increase luminosity. A storm water management system, typically not required for new construction in Orange County, ensures that rain water collected by the building’s surfaces is routed to the structure’s living walls.

AC Martin composed a dynamic entry facade with perforated metal scrims and glass that punctuate the building’s identity with an urban edge. Lit from within at night, the overall facade acts as a glowing orientation device on campus, including a frosted glass portion that serves as a projection surface for artworks and information. Like the green screen, the facade does not seek to disguise the building’s function nor its content.  Rather, it obscures the mundane bulk of vehicles while animating the building with an ever-changing pattern of movement and light through a palette of transparent and reflective materials.

Formal name of building:
Nutwood Parking Structure, California State University Fullerton

Location:
Fullerton, California

Completion Date:
Structure completed September 2004
Greenwall completed 2006

Gross square footage:
5 levels, 2,541 cars, 764,005 sq. ft.

Owner:
California State University, Fullerton
Mr. Michael Smith, Director of Design and Construction
Mr. Jay Bond, Associate Vice President
800 N. State College Boulevard
Fullerton, California  92834
(714) 278-2122

Design Architect:
AC Martin, Inc.
444 South Flower Street, Suite 1200
Los Angeles, CA 90071
213-614-6039 phone
213-614-6002 fax

 

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