An amazing parking museum
Directed by Ruedi and Vera Baur, the design studio Dix-milliards-humains is a reference in urban development projects. Drivers in Strasbourg already owe it the change of visual identity of the La Petite France parking lot, the Broglie Opera and Saint Nicolas.
Inaugurated on July 1st and renamed "Gutenberg Typographic Parking", it communicates a welcoming and original atmosphere comparable to an invitation to wander around as if in a museum, which is quite rare for this type of place. Ten Billion Humans would like to see a " Enjoy your visit! "to all users of the underground parking garage and states: " This place gives a privileged place to the pedestrian who can walk through the spaces and discover the catalog of fonts presented. »
A surprising cultural stroll
Rather than working on a stylized variation of the pictograms traditionally used for this type of structure, the agency chose to play with the design of the characters of the alphabet among different font families. Commas, parentheses and other punctuation marks guide pedestrians to their vehicles or the exit. The seat and floor numbers are highlighted by a metal plate as a nod to the printing industry. It presents the origin of the font, the name of the typographer and the foundry.
As the visitor progresses through the many basements, he or she experiences a chronological journey through the history of lettering. On level -1, contemporary works by students and professionals are exhibited. Then, on levels -2 and -3, one discovers typefaces conceived between the 15th and 20th centuries, some of which originated from the hand of Gutenberg.
Ruedi Baur, for his part, shares panel #161 with a dedication, with the Unistra font created by Christina Poth for the University of Strasbourg: " There is no real democracy without the citizen being properly informed, if he is not respected by the way he is addressed. »
