Christian Kerez’s four car parks in Muharraq, Bahrain transform infrastructure into dynamic public spaces, integrating historic urban fabric with radical structural design and reimagining the role of parking.
Conceived as part of the Pearl Path Project—an initiative that weaves historic preservation with contemporary interventions—these structures function not just as pragmatic solutions to urban congestion but as public spaces within the dense medieval fabric of the city. With their vast, open layouts and dynamic forms, the car parks add a new typology to Muharraq’s historic center, bridging the gap between necessity and architectural innovation.
Each car park, while adhering to a shared conceptual framework, is uniquely adapted to its site. Plot A, the largest, unfolds as an unbroken vehicular journey around its 170-meter length, transforming movement into an architectural gesture. Plot C, in contrast, humbly integrates itself opposite the Palace of the Winds and a mosque, limiting itself to a single level out of deference to the historic surroundings. Across all four structures, Kerez employs a radical approach to load-bearing: slabs and columns are connected with bent steel plates, creating a structural choreography where slabs morph and slope, seamlessly merging circulation and space. The resulting geometry—a fusion of concave and convex forms—renders no two floors identical, ensuring that both pedestrian and vehicular movement are constantly redefined by the space itself.
Constructed with a balance of digital precision and traditional craftsmanship, the car parks required 75,000 individual section drawings, many of which were printed at a 1:1 scale for on-site fabrication. This interplay between computational scripting and the hands-on labor force common in Middle Eastern construction highlights the project’s dual nature—simultaneously a work of digital engineering and a testament to human adaptability. More than mere parking facilities, these structures become social condensers, offering shaded public realms that accommodate everything from market gatherings to moments of quiet contemplation. In Kerez’s vision, infrastructure is no longer just background; it becomes an active participant in urban life.
