Avenue de Chartres Car Park by Birds Portchmouth Russum Architects

The Avenue de Chartres Car Park in Chichester was presented at the AT Awards live finals on 7 November 2022 at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health to a jury comprising, Nana Biamah-Ofosu, Peter Bishop, Hanif Kara, Juliette Morgan, David Partridge, Simon Allford, and Chair Isabel Allen. Read about how the project has stood the test of time, below.

Illuminated towers are a much-loved, contemporary, addition to Chichester’s skyline and act as an effective navigation device. Credit: Birds Portchmouth Russum

Completed
1991

Commissioned by Chichester District Council, this 900-space car park was designed to sit harmoniously in an extremely sensitive historic context despite requiring a bulk larger than Chichester Cathedral nearby. Inspired by the medieval wall, Birds Portchmouth Russum proposed a new city wall, screening the multi-deck car park, re-establishing the city boundary and creating a tree-lined walk into Chichester.

Illuminated colour-coded pedestrian aisles lead to circular stair towers accessing the new city wall walk at first floor. The structure has just one major elevation and is open on three sides, avoiding the need for mechanical ventilation and significantly reducing construction costs. Honeycomb brickwork on the principal elevation provides natural light and through ventilation, keeping the space cool and comfortable throughout summer, as well as ensuring that exhaust fumes are readily dissipated. The structure is fully accessible without the need for lifts. All decks, stairs and toilets benefit from natural light.

Interior view of one of the stair towers. Credit: Birds Portchmouth Russum

The steel structure to the towers, the mesh screens to the elevations, and the timber benches were fabricated and installed by local contractors. The brickwork was locally sourced and laid by local bricklayers. The precast concrete units, which form the decks were manufactured and transported to site from within a 90 mile radius.

Celebrated as a key local landmark and viewed by the Council as a non-designated heritage asset in policy terms, the car park is afforded a level of protection from unsympathetic alteration and demolition but has seen minor changes, including upgraded WC facilities to improve accessibility, LED lighting, electric vehicle charging points, and entry and exit barriers with automatic number plate recognition, to allow for new methods of charging.