The Green Parking Council (GPC), the non-profit organization promoting sustainability in the global parking industry, has announced the inaugural projects to earn Green Garage Certification. The International Parking Institute- affiliated GPC unveiled the program last year for new and existing developments.
The certification process assesses structure design and sustainable technology; facility management practices that maximize performance while minimizing waste; and, programs that encourage biking, car sharing, carpooling and alternative fuel vehicles. Sustainable garages utilize energy-efficient lighting and ventilation systems; guidance systems that help drivers find parking faster; idle-reduction technologies; electric vehicle fueling stations; bicycle parking; and, storm water management practices.
Green Garage Certification will be delivered and promoted globally by the Green Business Certification, Inc., the certification body for the U.S. Green Building Council’s global LEED green building rating system, in a strategic partnership with the GPC and International Parking Institute.
BG GROUP PLACE
Wrapped in a glass façade and vegetative roof, the 1,118-space BG Group Place brought Class A, sustainable development to a downtown Houston block. The green roof reduces the heat island effect and mitigates stormwater runoff. There are 56 reserved spaces in the garage for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles. Energy-effcient lighting and ventilation technologies reduce the property’s resource consumption, while nearby bicycle sharing and metro rail access provide commuters a variety of transportation options. Creative locator cards educate patrons on the facility’s sustainability attributes, such as AVI technology that reduces idling on entrance and egress.
FOREST HOME GARAGE
Constructed in 2009, Forest Home Garage is part of the parking system at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., which hosts a student population of 30,000 and manages 10,000 parking spaces. The garage contributes to a campus-wide initiative to reach carbon neutrality by 2035 by incorporating energy-efficient measures in a cast-in-place concrete structure. The 254-space facility encourages bike usage with extensive bike parking (12 percent), restrooms, showers and fountains. It also offers public space placemaking with green space, open courtyards and benches, and a series of annual events. Landscaped areas are populated with water-efficient plantings. A permit system provides rapid access and reduced exit idling. Financial incentives are in place for ride share patrons.
WESTPARK CORPORATE CENTER
The Westpark Corporate Center garage located in Tysons Corner, Va., is an enclosed, below-grade five-level parking structure with 1,486 spaces, supporting a 500,000 sq.-ft. office park project of two nine-story buildings. As the community seeks to transform itself into a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood, Westpark’s parking program leads by example. Six Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations are offered free of charge with EV drivers enjoying a 20 percent discount. Carpools receive a 50 percent rate discount and vanpools receive free parking. More than 75 percent of lighting fixtures are controlled by occupancy sensors, and the high-efficiency, fluorescent lighting retrofit produces quality lighting with reduced energy consumption.
BANK OF AMERICA PLAZA
The 2,128 space Bank of America Plaza Garage serves a 55-story office tower in downtown Los Angeles. Situated on a 4-acre site with a lush garden and open seating area, the facility serves as a hub for the surrounding community. Energy efficient lighting and ventilation systems and green cleaning practices contribute to low-impact operations. The garage’s low-emitting vehicle spaces, 100 bicycle parking spaces, and 10 Level 2 charging ports, all allow patrons to easily utilize sustainable transportation options. Additionally, for the facility’s most recent construction project more than 60 percent of the labor was from local sources.
CHARLES SQUARE GARAGE
The Charles Hotel garage, located in the historic Harvard Square in Cambridge, Mass., is a 550-space, two-level garage located beneath a mixed-use complex of a luxury hotel, condominiums, retail and a commercial tower. The garage roof supports an exterior courtyard at street level and an interior raised courtyard, each of which regularly host placemaking activities. Public events include farmer’s markets in the summer and an ice skating rink in the winter. The garage offers free EV charging, a free bike sharing program for hotel guests and a nearby public bike share station, tire inflation, and an innovative and automated small car discount program and small car reserved spaces.
SILVER SPRING METRO PLAZA
Constructed in 1986, the 466-space Silver Spring Metro Plaza garage in Silver Spring, Md., sits below 700,000+ square feet of office space and ground floor retail. Energy efficiency measures, garage recycling and responsible cleaning practices lessen the facility’s impact on the environment. Online reservations reduce patron circling and a pay-on-foot kiosk reduces vehicle idling on egress. Drivers of alternative fuel vehicles receive a 26 percent discount. Furthermore, access to the nearby Silver Spring Metro Station, carshare vehicles, EV fueling (four hours of free EV charging) and bike sharing positions this property as a multimodal hub.
CANOPY AIRPORT PARKING
Canopy Airport Parking, a budget facility for the Denver International Airport and a cooperative project of Greenscape Capital and Propark America, placed sustainability in the center of its development and construction. Recycled construction materials, commissioning, energy-effcient fixtures and responsible construction waste management were among the strategies employed at the Commerce City, Colo., facility. Since completing construction in 2010, the facility has built upon its green foundation to embrace sustainable operations and programming with a variety of initiatives including, recycling, alternative fuel shuttles and educational initiatives. The parking facility has 160 spaces reserved for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles and eight EV charging stations. Solar array and eight wind turbines provide clean, renewable energy.