The new parking ramp at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport may look like just another parking ramp. But the massive, 11-story ramp is no ordinary structure — in look or in function. In fact, it represents a new approach to seamless travel.
In addition to providing parking spaces for cars (5,000 of them), the Silver Ramp/Transit Center is a hub for taxis, trains, buses, shuttles and bicycles, too.
Whether you arrive at the airport via cab, rental car, light rail or your bike, this central transit node connects directly to Terminal 1. Much like a Grand Central Station of yore, it's connected to an underground people mover and then to the main terminal.
Opened in phases between August 2020 and June 2021, it's also a noteworthy work of architecture.
The main lobby is a spacious, column-free space clad in white-oak paneling and stone fasciae. It's also brightly lit with natural light from a transparent ceiling.
Tightly fitted with carefully proportioned panel joints that are framed by exposed concrete structure, the space features a dramatic quartet of unusually long escalators, set cheek-by-jowl against each other, all of which rise to different levels of the parking garage.
Leading into this main entry area, exposed concrete support beams overhead connecting the Silver and Blue ramps are purposefully aligned with the main flow of pedestrian traffic, almost like nature's striations in rocky canyons that express the flow and direction of water. These angled beams help direct people in subliminal, yet very effective ways toward their ticket and gate destinations.
Throughout the structure, materials work aesthetically and practically together.