Even Parking Lots Can Get LEED Certified

Why would a parking garage be eligible for LEED certification when the goal is get rid of cars in cities?

It turns out that as much as 30% of the congestion in major cities is caused by cars circling and idling while they search for parking. Cities would have lots less cars driving around if they didn’t have to look for spaces, leaving more room for public transport, walking, bicycling and just breathing better air.

The time consuming practice of circling city blocks or driving up and down garage ramps searching for open parking spaces frustrates drivers, wastes gas and contributes to global warming and deteriorating air quality. Parking lots and garages also takes up a lot of space – a Facebook page devoted to parking in Columbus, Ohio points out that 233 acres or 24% of the city’s developable land is consumed by parking lots.

One solution is automated parking garages, which VLF Development LLC is about to pioneer in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood. Its Green Park^TM Eco Garage will be the first LEED-Gold certified parking facility in the U.S.

Its patented automated parking system will double or triple the number of cars that can be parked with a smaller footprint than traditional garages.

Although there’s an on-site attendant for customer assistance, a robotic system is in charge of parking the cars. Because it’s fully automated, there’s no need to heat, cool or light the building interior, except in the welcoming ground level receiving area. Since cars aren’t driven into parking spaces, there are no emissions – the automated system uses only 125 amps of electricity with a natural gas backup generator.

The system is monitored by video cameras from a centralized command center. Except for the driver, no human hands touch the car, which prevents vehicle damage, car break-ins and theft. Parking, retrieval and payment are all handled at street level in a secure receiving area. The entire parking and retrieval process takes about two minutes. And unlike metered street parking, drivers can leave their cars in the facility all day.

When it opens next year, VLF plans to introduce an electronic network infrastructure that integrates with smart-phone technology and other enhanced communications tools, enabling drivers to reserve spots ahead of time through their Green Park^TM reservation system.

Beyond greening their core service, the garage is constructed with recycled materials, uses efficient lighting and buys its energy from renewable energy sources. It also has a green roof which collects rainwater and reduces heat in the building.

Although LEED certification is new to parking garages, automation is being used in 40 countries in Europe, China and the US. There are about 400,000 automated parking spaces.

What do you think? Should cities just make it impossible to park to keep cars out or do you think "green" garages are a good idea?

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