Large-scale Digital Screen to Project Community Art on New City of Fairfield Parking Structure

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Low-resolution LED screen creates varying artwork patterns on a 50’x600’ façade facing Interstate 80

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – The City of Fairfield has commissioned Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture (D+B) to design a 1200-car capacity parking facility with dynamic visual screens facing Interstate 80, the major corridor connecting San Francisco and Sacramento. The reinforced concrete structure will have 6-levels of parking with photovoltaic panels on the roof. It will be located at West Texas Street and Interstate 80 in the City of Fairfield. “Due to our proximity to the San Francisco Bay Area, Fairfield has a large commuter population. This facility provides an opportunity to help alleviate some of the freeway congestion we face,” said Nathaniel Atherstone, City of Fairfield Public Works transportation manager. Construction is expected to start in 2018 with completion in late 2019.

Four electric car chargers will be included on each level, and will be powered by electricity generated from the photovoltaic panels. Additionally, the structure will have bike lockers and van pool parking to encourage alternative transportation methods to and from the Fairfield Transportation Center.

“Our intention for this parking structure was to make it a source of community pride and engagement in the city. When we design a parking structure, we want to make it visual appealing and have multiple uses so that people think differently about what it could be used for,” said Jason A. Silva, AIA, LEED AP, design principal at D+B, and this project’s designer.

During the day, the naturally lit screen will change perspective as cars pass by. At evening, a low resolution LED display will project community art created at local workshops and annual festivals. “Using pigment dye on fabric, the community artwork is then scanned, and translated digitally to create different pieces to project on screens that face the freeway,” said Silva.

Atherstone said, “This parking structure is located at the gateway into downtown Fairfield. It will be a source of pride, provide an opportunity to engage with our community, and help establish our identity as a city.”

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Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture

Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture (D+B), founded in ­1950 in Sacramento, CA with an office in San Francisco, is a 38-person firm headquartered in the California capital. The firm serves corporate, public and institutional markets with solutions achieved through collaboration and innovation. Committed to a sustainable future, D+B brings expertise in architecture, master planning, interiors, graphic design, and construction services. Recently completed projects include The Shop at VSP Global, Yolo County Woodland Superior Courthouse, and ICON Aircraft Headquarters & Manufacturing Facility.

Fairfield Transportation Center

Fairfield Transportation Center currently has 640 spaces, where people can leave their vehicles and catch van pools or the express buses that go to BART stations. The new parking structure will alleviate the parking congestion currently happening at the site. The city is also in the process of converting to electric buses.