$12M garage grabs award

SARASOTA — The U.S. Green Building Council has recognized a parking garage on prime real estate in downtown Sarasota as one of the top uses of a core and shell in the region.

The council, through the Florida Gulf Coast chapter, presented an Outstanding LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) project award to Sarasota-based Jonathan Parks Architect. The firm designed the 280,000-square-foot garage in 2009 as a mixed-use building, with retail on the ground floor and 740 parking spots above it. The lead builder on the six-story garage, a $12 million project, was Suffolk Construction. For more on the design, click here.

The garage, built in a curvy, free-form sculptural style, with contours that resemble sails, opened in early 2011. Some city leaders and residents, despite the recognition, complained about using prime downtown real estate for a parking garage while the project was in the planning stages.