Parking in the 21^st century: Manoeuvring design challenges with high-performance compact rolling grilles

In 2018, the International Parking Institute (IPI) released a sweeping trend report outlining the biggest threats and opportunities facing the parking industry. The most obvious influence was an increase in ride-hailing and transportation network companies. This affects curb management and requires designers and urban planners to develop safe drop-off and pick-up points for riders. Though these changes hold a lot to consider, others can be more complicated and inflexible. Despite an increase in ride-hailing services and the impending onslaught of autonomous vehicles, many businesses remain convinced that the vast majority of their customers drive and need proximate parking. This emphasis on parking sits alongside urbanization, city density, and traffic congestion. The report also outlined the need for secure parking facilities as well as private access for retail customers and building occupants, including residents of high-rise towers and condominium buildings.

The report, which features survey data from thousands of professionals in parking, transportation, and mobility services, also asked respondents a series of exit questions. One included, “What is the most common parking operations, design, or management problem or mistake you have encountered that you feel could have been avoided had competent parking expertise been used?”

While this question was open ended, the responses fell into a few categories – the vast majority of which derided the industry for not including parking experts in the beginning of new design and build projects.

Other complaints and criticisms included not keeping up with advances in parking technology, not considering the experience of the customer, driver, resident or parking garage user, and failing to recognize transportation, parking, and mobility as one large interconnected picture.

Respondents even called out the failure of the industry to consider ingress and egress, the number, placement, and visibility of garage entrances and taking a one-size-fits-all approach to parking planning and design that fails to address the needs of increasingly urban and vertical cityscapes across the globe.

These same concerns were echoed in “Driving Smart Cities,” a white paper recently published by Kimley-Horn.  As one of North America’s largest planning, engineering, and consulting firms, the company addresses the disruptive forces challenging the design and construction industry.

Parking professionals, along with designers, architects, and construction professionals are required to comprehend the basics of curb management, parking facility design, and compliance/code requirements in 2019. They must also have a deep understanding of developing technology, mobile application integration, data analysis, accommodating active transportation systems, and the principles of adaptive reuse. This growing combination of design, functionality, and technology needs is defined as dynamic parking.

When new construction and retrofit projects fail to address these increasingly complex demands, they are doing a disservice to building occupants and other parking garage users in commercial environments (for a public unwilling to give up their cars and sport utility vehicles). This is why it is so critical for the architects and designers (A&D) community to stay ahead of the curve and proactively design facilities that can be adapted to future needs.

Key considerations based on real-world needs

Considering stable car ownership rates, Canadian developers must continue to design commercial, residential, and mixed-use buildings with dedicated parking facilities. However, with space at a premium and each parking space taking up valuable square footage, this can be an expensive requirement.

One obvious option would be to remove rolling grilles completely, but this is not plausible for areas where security is a big concern. From high crime areas to high-wealth districts where customers and residents demand private and secure facilities for their vehicles. Not only are their (sometimes luxury) cars and SUVs the target of thieves and criminals, but occupants themselves want to be protected against intruders and other unauthorized individuals once inside the structure.

The future is already here

Canadian cities are modernizing at breakneck speed as societal changes significantly affect new building design, infrastructure, and transportation requirements.

Parking facilities with complex access demands require complex closure products with high-cycle lifespans and improved performance reliability. Not only must they look great and operate seamlessly, but they are required to fit into ever smaller spaces with decreased headroom while providing garage users peace of mind.

Thanks to advances in high-performance compact rolling grilles, it is possible to create safe, secure and modern parking solutions.