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
Mixed-Use | Nov 16, 2015
Italian architect designs vertical forest with prefab units by BuroHappold
Cantilevered planters will host cedar trees and other plants hundreds of feet above ground.
Green | Nov 16, 2015
USGBC Working Group approves new guidance for LEED Materials & Resources Credit 4
Helps product manufacturers offer insight into material and supply chain sustainability
Green | Oct 30, 2015
First WELL-certified city district will be built in Tampa, Fla.
The plan calls for the construction of a $2 billion, 40-acre urban mixed-use development, where all buildings will pursue WELL Certification.
Sponsored | Green | Oct 22, 2015
Six-story living wall improves building performance at University of Ottawa
Benefits of the living wall include dust control and sound abatement.
Green | Oct 21, 2015
GBCI announces 2015 class of LEED Fellows
The 35 winners have demonstrated leadership within the green building movement.
Multifamily Housing | Oct 15, 2015
Montreal apartment is world’s largest residential cross-laminated timber project
Its 434 condo, townhouse, and rental units in three eight-story buildings are made from sustainably harvested wood turned into panels by Canadian company Nordic Wood Structures together with the Cree Nation in Chibougamau.
Green | Oct 5, 2015
ULI report: Commercial real estate properties cutting emissions, energy use
The new report from ULI’s Greenprint Center shows a positive trajectory of real estate properties worldwide reducing energy and water use.
Green | Oct 1, 2015
New York showcases an urban farm for public housing
Providing healthy foods and job training are two of this project’s missions.
Multifamily Housing | Sep 28, 2015
Vo Trong Nghia’s 'diamond lotus' will feature sky garden pathways linking high-rises
The 22-story housing complex in Ho Chi Minh City will have façades covered with plants and a rooftop garden that connects the structures.
Green | Sep 11, 2015
GBI releases Green Building Assessment Protocol for Commercial Buildings for public comment
Revised ANSI standard open for review through Oct. 26
