Taking garage concept for a spin

As a piece of architecture, the American garage hasn't changed much since the horse and buggy days. At heart, it's still an attached or detached shed with a front door where the carriage, or car, moves in and out.

But architect Chris Altman doesn't see why it has to stay that way.

His concept recently won first place in a national garage design competition sponsored in part by the Italian luxury and sports car maker Maserati.

Altman, who works with Stubbs Muldrow Herin Architects Inc. in Mount Pleasant, describes himself as a bit of a car nut, so he entered the contest on a whim not long after receiving a Christmas subscription to Architectural Digest, which also was a co-sponsor.

The contest had two parts: one for existing garages and other for conceptual garage designs.

Altman entered and won the conceptual category.

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Maserati Garage

Chris Altman of Stubbs Muldrow Herin Architects Inc. recently won a national design competition sponsored by Maserati and Architectural Digest.

His design features three circular spaces spanning the driveway and garage interior, similar to old railroad turntables.

Each turntable has three separate positions: an arrival position that is cocked at an angle; a display position in which the car is fully sheltered; and a departure position that lets the driver head straight back out down the driveway.

"It eliminates the need to back up the car," Altman notes. "I know my wife would love not to have to back the car out."

Like the winner of the existing category (a modern garage in Los Angeles where the car enters the living space right next to a large glass window that brings to mind the memorable sports car mishap at the end of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"), Altman's design is a shrine to the car.

Once the car is rotated to the interior, it remains visible through a glass wall that faces on a reflecting pool.

Altman figures if anyone owns a really nice car, "then putting it into a box and not seeing it again defeats the purpose. It's like a piece of art within the home."

"In a sense, it's no different than collecting Picassos. You're going to have a special place in your home built to display those," he says.

Altman says the turntables resemble the moving parts of an engine and that others have told him that only someone knowledgeable about valves and carburetors could have come up with the design.

"All that subtly plays into how the design was developed," he says. "Some of it was figuratively. Some of it was literally."

The design will be publicized in October's Architectural Digest, and Maserati is looking at building a scale model of it, says Jeffrey Ehodin, Maserati's public relations manager.

"Overall, we're extremely impressed with Chris' submission," he says. "In a field of exceptional entries, his won handily thanks to its engine-themed inspiration and unique vision."

While Altman's design can handle three cars and is clad in limestone, he notes it easily could be adapted to more or fewer cars or other materials.

Aside from the turntable concept, the architecture is simple and clean, designed to frame the car and not compete for attention.

Altman isn't sure if such a garage ever will get built and estimates it likely would cost several hundred dollars per square foot -- about the same as a well-built home.

Of course, garages currently serve an interesting role these days. While built to house a car, the space often serves as a workshop, a family rec room or simply fills up with cardboard boxes and other junk that can't fit in the attic but is too valuable to put by the curb.

His vision takes the garage back to its essence.

"If you could build this, you probably would have plenty of storage someplace else."

Robert Behre may be reached at 937-5771 or by fax at 937-5579. His e-mail address is rbehre@postandcourier.com, and his mailing address is 134 Columbus St., Charleston, SC 29403.