Parking garages are no longer just nondescript concrete slabs. Earlier this month, the Green Parking Council (GPC) announced the first seven parking facilities in the country to achieve Green Garage Certification.
The title is determined by a rating system that factors in 48 elements of garage operation, structure, and technology, and recognizes sustainable practices in parking structure management.
The seven garages are located throughout the U.S. and have various uses. Four of them are office buildings: Brookfield’s Bank of America Plaza in Los Angeles; BG Holdco LLC’s BG Group Place in Houston; and Brookfield’s Silver Spring Metro Plaza and JLL’s Westpark Corporate Center, both in the Metro Washington D.C. area.
Cornell University’s Forest Home Garage in Ithaca, N.Y., is the lone school represented on the list, while Charles Square Hotel’s garage in Cambridge, Mass., and Och Ziff Capital Management Group Parking Acquisition Ventures’ Canopy Airport Parking in Denver are the only lodging and transportation venues on the list.
A variety of factors can make a parking garage green, from enhanced ventilation and energy-efficient lighting to greywater reuse and rainwater harvesting. Some have guidance systems to help drivers find their cars, others have tire inflation and electric car fueling stations, as well as car sharing and bicycle parking options.
The advantages of green garages not only help drivers but they also serve to benefit building owners. Reduced energy from lighting, ventilation, controls, and commissioning measures can keep operational costs around 25% lower than the national average.
Related Stories
| Apr 20, 2012
McCarthy completes Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Replacement Facility
The new hospital’s architectural design combines traditional Santa Barbara Spanish colonial architecture with 21st century medical conveniences highlighted by a therapeutic and sustainable atmosphere.
| Apr 20, 2012
Registration open for Solar Power International 2012 in Orlando
President Bill Clinton to deliver keynote address at ?largest solar energy event in the Americas.
| Apr 18, 2012
Positive conditions persist for Architecture Billings Index
The AIA reported the March ABI score was 50.4, following a mark of 51.0 in February; greatest demand is for commercial building projects.
| Apr 17, 2012
Princeton Review releases “Guide to 322 Green Colleges”
The guide profiles 322 institutions of higher education in the U.S. and Canada that demonstrate notable commitments to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation.
| Apr 17, 2012
FMI report examines federal construction trends
Given the rapid transformations occurring in the federal construction sector, FMI examines the key forces accelerating these changes, as well as their effect on the industry.
| Apr 17, 2012
Freese and Nichols awarded Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award
Freese and Nichols is the only engineering and architecture firm to ever receive this recognition.
| Apr 17, 2012
Miramar College police substation in San Diego receives LEED Platinum
The police substation is the first higher education facility in San Diego County to achieve LEED Platinum Certification, the highest rating possible.
| Apr 16, 2012
University of Michigan study seeks to create efficient building design
The result, the researchers say, could be technologies capable of cutting the carbon footprint created by the huge power demands buildings place on the nation’s electrical grid.
| Apr 16, 2012
$80 million in export financing for solar project in India
The project, “Rajasthan Sun Technique Energy Private Limited,” is a subsidiary of Reliance Power and is being co-financed by the Asian Development Bank and FMO, the Dutch development bank.
| Apr 12, 2012
Solar PV carport, electrical charging stations unveiled in California
Project contractor Oltman Construction noted that the carport provides shaded area for 940 car stalls and generates 2 MW DC of electric power.
