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
Energy-Efficient Design | Mar 20, 2018
University of Hawaii Maui College on pace to become first U.S. campus to generate 100% renewable energy on-site
The project is part of a partnership with Johnson Controls and Pacific Current that will also allow four UH community college campuses on Oahu to significantly reduce their fossil fuel consumption.
Green | Feb 12, 2018
The top landscape trends of 2018
The National Association of Landscape Professionals releases its annual list of trends anticipated to infiltrate residential and commercial outdoor spaces.
Hotel Facilities | Feb 12, 2018
Circular hotel will be world’s first energy positive hotel concept above the Arctic Circle
The hotel will provide 360-degree views of the Svartisen glacier and the surrounding arctic nature.
Green | Feb 5, 2018
Does nature have a lasting positive effect on the mind?
What types of nature-inspired design elements are most effective?
Green | Jan 31, 2018
U.S. Green Building Council releases annual top 10 states for LEED green building per capita
Massachusetts tops the list for the second year; New York, Hawaii and Illinois showcase leadership in geographically diverse locations.
Green | Jan 30, 2018
Welcome to the Jungle: Amazon’s Spheres have opened to employees and the public
The Spheres provide the most unique aspect of Amazon’s downtown Seattle headquarters.
Green | Jan 15, 2018
Revolutionizing the standard green lease
The DOE Better Buildings Initiative has made a bold statement calling 2018 the “Year of the Lease”.
Green | Dec 22, 2017
Green builders can use ‘big data’ to make design decisions
More and more, green project teams are relying on publicly available “external datasets” to prioritize sustainable design decisions, says sustainability consultant Adele Houghton.
Giants 400 | Oct 31, 2017
A more intense shade of green
Zero-net energy, sustainability, and wellness are goals more developers and AEC teams strive for.
Giants 400 | Oct 30, 2017
Top 85 green construction firms
Turner Construction Co., Clark Group, and AECOM top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest green sector contractors and construction management firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.
