The Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage, overlooking the Hudson River at the corner of Spring Street and West Street, houses three district garages for the NYC Department of Sanitation. The buildings have become iconic and a source of neighborhood pride. Although municipal infrastructure projects are often targeted as undesirable uses, the community has embraced the project and applauded the use of design to successfully integrate critical services into the neighborhood. This pair of public buildings serves close to 300,000 residents.

The multi-story garage accommodates over 150 sanitation vehicles including trucks, front-end loaders, salt spreaders, heavy-equipment wreckers, and personnel vehicles; separate vehicle wash and personnel facilities for each district; and centralized fueling and repair facilities.

Operational flexibility is key to DSNY. As first responders during weather emergencies, the facilities must be available to operate 24-7, without down time for repairs. Longevity and redundancy are built into the design to ensure continuous operation.

To reinforce minimal community impact, extensive vehicle circulation studies were performed to determine locations of entrances and exits to minimize traffic on neighborhood streets and optimize efficiency of interior operations. A series of three-lane interior ramps improve circulation efficiency through a reversible center lane for use during peak activity. The parabolic ramp transitions, designed to accommodate large service trucks, reduce the vibration imparted on the structure.