With all that I learned during the rest of the project, I decided it was time for an almost complete do-over on the parking garage. The real one forms a 75-degree arc through 19 segments, and this new shape replicates that shape exactly. My prior effort used an arc tool to generate the curve automatically as I had planned to form the shape in paper and I wasn't too concerned with the exact number of segments as it was going to be a smooth curve anyway. But I came to realize that if I modeled it the way I'm doing now, the skybridges would be able to fit up against a flat surface, greatly simplifying assembly as well as improving accuracy. I also discovered that I needed to deflect the skybridges slightly to one side or the other to clear the support columns on the previously-existing facade (built 1974, the parking garage and skybridges went up in 1987). Close observation of real-world photos bore this detail out precisely; the skybridges deflected very slightly to one side or the other in the same manner that I did, which also confirms the accuracy of the column placements.
Here we see the basic shape of the parking garage laid out with the placements of the skybridges determined. The top deck is hidden in order to facilitate visibility inside while shaping the columns and side walls. The final shape of the skybridges will be created later on; they will step down in two stages to reach the level of the upper level roadway at the terminal facade. I will next hide the skybridges from view in order to continue focusing on creating the details of the structural columns and side walls around the perimeter of the garage. There will be two helical ramps for vehicle entry and exit; these are separate model files and will removed from this view once the precise point of their attachment to the garage is finalized. In fact, the entry ramp model has already done its job and been removed here.
This parking garage will be approximately 12 x 18 inches by an inch and a half high when completed. The top deck will be overlaid with cardstock printed with the parking spaces and other pavement markings, and the thickness of the stock has been accounted for in the model.