Sustainable Car Parking Solutions

Sustainability is a concept that has crept into almost every aspect of daily life from transportation to toilet paper. It’s no surprise then that urban planners, designers and investors are also searching for ways to provide car parking space in a more sustainable fashion. Sustainability in this sense is commonly measured by criteria developed by LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), BREEAM (British Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) and similar organizations.

Here are just some of the ways that automated parking systems (APS) contribute to meeting sustainability goals (most often compared to conventional parking garages):

Energy Efficiency & Carbon Footprint

• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions (cars are turned off during parking and retrieval)
• Reduces gasoline consumption (no searching for parking)
• Reduced energy consumption during operation
• Reduced energy consumption for construction

Waste & Wastewater

• More manageable containment of waste (oil, dirt, debris, etc.) from cars
• Significantly reduced excavation and construction waste
• Construction from recycled steel rather than concrete
• Reduced stormwater runoff

Environmental

• Allows much more greenspace (smaller footprint)
• Reduced “heat island” effect
• Less impact on local “climate”
• Easily accommodates electric vehicles

Societal

• Less visual and aesthetic impact (smaller volume)
• More readily handicap accessible
• More security and safety for cars and pedestrians
• More readily applied underground or under buildings
• More easily located closer to destinations

Many sustainability efforts incur higher first costs and depend on lower O&M costs of a period of time to achieve financial neutrality or benefit. In numerous scenarios, an APS offers much lower first costs compared to a conventional parking garage.

Want to know more about sustainability and car parking solutions? Just contact your Skyline Parking representative.