FLOW-on effect Kinetic car park facade

The sheer size of many car park buildings creates a challenge for designers looking to minimise the visual impact. And it's all the more noticeable at an airport where a building needs to be as close as possible to the terminal.

When the Brisbane Airport Corporation looked to lessen the impact of the new open-deck car park building at the domestic terminal, it commissioned Urban Art Projects (UAP) to come up with an appropriate facade. UAP CEO Ben Tait says three renowned artists were shortlisted for the project, with US artist Ned Kahn winning the commission.

"The building, designed by Hassell, is one of the largest car park buildings in the Southern Hemisphere, and the client was keen to explore iconic creative solutions for the terminal side facade," Tait says. "We also had to ensure the design was porus enough to meet ventilation codes and solid enough to obscure the car park behind."

Kahn's design, titled Turbulent Line, presents a kinetic facade that comprises approximately 130,000 suspended perforated aluminium squares. As with all of Kahn's work, the art work utilises natural energy to create movement the facade ripples in the ever-changing wind, creating a direct interface between the built and natural environments. It is further embellished with darker anodised squares forming a curving pattern that references reflection patterns on the Brisbane River.

"The art work conveys a sense of journey," says Tait. "With the wind creating varying effects, from sweeping waves to localised eddies, it is also quite hypnotic."

Story by: Colleen Hawkes