North Penrith Commuter Car Park officially opened

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North Penrith Commuter Car Park officially opened

6 August 2012

HBO+EMTB has designed the new North Penrith Commuter Car Park which provides 1000 free parking spaces for commuters.

The $13 million three-storey facility is located immediately north of Penrith Station and was officially opened by Penrith Mayor Greg Davies on Friday, August 3.

HBO+EMTB’s managing director Kevin Fitzgerald said the rectilinear shaped building features a striking façade which has taken cues from the nearby Blue Mountains.

“Penrith is a gateway to the Blue Mountains and the building respects and reflects this fact.

“When designing the façade, our project designer Igor Molitor took inspiration from the shapes and colours of the eucalyptus tree by referencing the many colours of the leaf throughout its lifecycle.

“The eucalypt inspired facade is made of perforated powder coated aluminium, while the main structure is formed using a pre-stressed concrete system which facilitates exceptionally large spans. This approach minimises the number of columns required, making the interior transparent and open.

“Car parks can be soulless, drab spaces so we deliberately created an interior that was as light and bright as possible. The car park is designed to be the antithesis of the standard ‘grey’ city and suburban car parks we are all too familiar with,” he said.

HBO+EMTB was engaged by Penrith City Council for the project, with the final design being a result of a design study carried out in collaboration with Landcom urban planners.

Penrith Mayor Greg Davies said: “The North Penrith Commuter Car Park actually cost about $2 million less to build than the original budget.

“The car park features security lighting, CCTV cameras, 30 accessible parking spaces and a lift, so it’s a clean, convenient and safer place to park.

“This great asset helps take more cars off the road by making it easier to use public transport and addressing the high demand for parking around Penrith’s CBD. Through its construction the car park has also supported jobs and will continue to do so as it encourages economic activity and retail investment in Penrith’s CBD,” he said.