Here’s What Makes Automated Parking a Sustainable Solution

02/21/20

One of the most powerful advantages of automated parking systems is being a sustainable and environmental-friendly solution

Here are 5 reasons why automated parking is a sustainable parking solution.

1) 83% Less emissions

In an automated parking garage users do not drive or walk inside the structure. They drive their vehicle into a wide bay room, turn off the engine and exit. The automated parking system moves the vehicles inside the volume with no Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide or Nitrogen oxides emissions.

The result is 83% (!) less emissions in an automated parking garage.

In fact, as a result of the low emissions, the standard ventilation for an automated parking structure is only 2 times per hour, comparing to 6-8 times per hour for a conventional garage!

2) Less use of building materials and excavations

Automated parking systems optimize the Square-Footage of a parking volume. With no pedestrian walkways, door clearance, ramps, or turning radii required, the system dense the footprint by 50%. Moreover, in some automated parking projects, Utron’s design succeeded to incorporate the parking structure within the building and make excavations completely redundant.

For developers, a smaller footprint means using fewer building materials, reduce excavations, and produce less construction debris which directly contributing to a more sustainable project.

3) Self-sufficient power system

Using solar energy to generate electricity can self supply automated parking systems needs. For example, our automated parking structure in West Hollywood City Hall includes a photovoltaic system that supplies the power to Utron’s machinery. The city monitors the total energy and CO2 savings. The energy-saving per year equals 45,458 Gallons of Gas and 402 Tons of CO2. In other words, the Total CO2 offset equals 1,100 trees.

4) Reduced need for air ventilation and lighting

As mentioned above, a conventional parking garage requires 6-8 air changes per hour to control and ventilate CO and NO2 levels, while an automated parking garage requires only 2 changes per hour. Similarly, the lighting levels at a conventional garage with pedestrian movement, ramps, and turns, is far higher than at an automated parking structure, where no humans walk inside.

5) Adaptive reuse and repurposing the parking structure

The future of parking is subject to car ownership trends. Research shows Millennials tend to rely more on public transit or ride-hailing, but generation X and baby-boomers still rely on cars as their primary transportation. Still, architects and urban planners need to accommodate future parking demand in their current design. They should think of ways to make the structure ready for changes and be economically converted to other uses.

Automated parking structures are built on flat surfaces, with no ramps and turning radii, and with about 15′ floor-to-floor height. In the future, it will allow us to remove the steel decks in between slabs and repurpose the volume. In other words, developers will be able to construct new units/retail without having to rebuild the whole development, keeping a minimum impact on the environment.

The conclusion is simple:

Automated Parking is a sustainable and environmentally responsible solution. It allows you to design and develop future-proof buildings that minimize the carbon footprint and optimize land use.