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

by nithya_caleb | July 13, 2019 12:00 am

By Heather Bender

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From the increasing density of urban areas to the growing popularity of mixed-use construction, major societal changes across the country impact the way people live, work, and play. They also impact a lesser considered (but no less relevant) aspect of daily life in terms of urban planning: the way people park.

As population density rises, cities continue to reach skyward and the price per square foot of leasable space increases accordingly. At the same time, car ownership rates remain stable, even in increasingly urban areas with highly accessible public transit options, and despite the proliferation of ride-hailing services. This confluence of trends creates architectural challenges for cities struggling to cope with a growing concentration of automobiles.

This means, architects and designers (A&D) have to create affordable solutions that provide residential high-rises, office towers, and the like with reliable parking options that are safe and secure in tighter spaces.

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One way the A&D community is adapting parking facility design to fit into this new landscape while also keeping costs down, is by creating facilities that are more compact and condensed, reducing headroom and shrinking space between floors. However, as the space between parking garage floors shrinks, how can architects create ingress and egress points with enough headroom for wheelchair accessible and emergency vehicles without compromising esthetics or security?

The answer has not always been easy as traditional rolling grilles simply take up too much headroom. Fortunately, the A&D industry has an ally in manufacturers who have developed new advanced high-performance compact rolling grilles.

Not only do these innovative products combine the reliability and high-speed operation of other performance-driven door products, but also do it in a more compact design with an esthetic that blends in with emerging architecture and façade design trends seen in metropolitan areas throughout the country.

Parking security solutions without compromise

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Advancements in high-performance security grilles have reduced the coil size to take up a small amount of headroom. This allows A&Ds to maximize clear opening—the total space a vehicle has to enter and exit a parking garage. A typical standard overhead rolling grille requires 610 mm (24 in.) of headroom, while new products from leading manufacturers require as little as 330 mm (13 in.). This nearly 50 per cent reduction saves headroom space and maximizes clear opening.

This game-changing design works in tandem with efforts to develop the proposed federal accessibility legislation that seeks to create new standards and regulations to identify, remove, and prevent barriers to accessibility[4]. While this legislation has not been officially unveiled (expected to be introduced sometime this year), architects can get ahead of the change in code by incorporating high-performance security grilles with a reduced coil size. This allows wheelchair accessible vehicles to more easily enter or exit facilities with ultra-low ceiling heights.

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While the benefits of these new high-performance compact rolling grilles are clear, why are not more A&Ds integrating them throughout the country? More often than not, the wrong rolling grille is installed because the right one was value engineered out of a project. It happens a lot with high-performance rolling products, as they are more expensive than standard rolling grilles. However, there are very real, tangible costs to installing the wrong product that can more than double the cost of the less expensive option in downtime and repairs.

Installing a standard rolling grille instead of a high-performance compact rolling grille will increase the time it takes to complete a full cycle (open to close), and reduce the number of cars that can enter or exit a parking facility. A standard overhead rolling door or grille can open at about 203 mm (8 in.) per second, compared to 610 mm (24 in.) per second for high-speed rolling grilles. This can feel like an eternity when a person is leaving for work, or coming home at the end of a long day.

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Slower operating speeds can also cause delays for mixed-use buildings that have a combination of shoppers, tenants, and residents utilizing the garage 24-7. The result is traffic backing up onto the street or sidewalk, a potential safety hazard for drivers and pedestrians. It can also impact customer/user satisfaction. In the world of social media, it only takes one angry driver to cause a commotion and ruin a building’s reputation.

From a facility management standpoint, it is important to consider potential maintenance delays as well, especially in high-traffic and mixed-use settings. Facility managers may come in to find a standard coiling door or grille that is ‘out of service’ or ‘closed for repairs.’ Standard rolling grilles are not rated for continuous use and, therefore, they are more likely to fail in high traffic applications. For urban areas with only one or two ingress and egress points, this can be disastrous. In the event a door or grille fails, it will typically need to be held in an open position. This means any semblance of safety and security for the parking structure is compromised.

Further, when a standard overhead grille is utilized beyond capacity (completing too many full cycles), the motor overheats, components wear out prematurely, and springs fail. This renders the grille or door completely useless. A broken spring will cause the overhead door to slam shut, putting everyone at risk of injury and lead to expensive service calls.

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In contrast, high-performance rolling grilles are constructed with long-lasting stainless steel links to withstand heavy continuous use, at least 300,000 cycles a day. They do not need maintenance outside of daily checks, and can be springless, which removes another potential point of failure. The extra money initially spent on installing a high-performance garage door or grille pays for itself in lower total cost of ownership in the long run.

Another issue with installing standard grilles in higher-speed applications is they do not automatically come with the most advanced light curtain safety technology. These touch-free solutions are suitable for high-speed, high-cycle door applications because they reduce the risk of both personal injury and vehicular damage. While standard doors do come with photo eyes at the bottom, which are certainly safer than zero precautions, this is not the most comprehensive solution on the market because it lacks blanking features.

Blanking features allow for partial closing of a door or grille and subsequent continuation of the closing cycle when an obstruction is cleared. This is more advanced and safer than basic light curtains that fail to recognize last-minute obstructions because the infrared beams are turned off as the door or grille closes.

Additional benefits

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One of the unique advantages of high-performance compact rolling grilles is how quiet they are. Curved vertical links are engineered to reduce vibration. This makes for a whisper-quiet roll down grille perfect for parking garages that also house residents above the opening, ensuring they are not disturbed while the grille is operating.

Some door products can even be configured to withstand up to 1915 Pa (40 psf) static design pressure, suitable for extreme weather events that are becoming more common across Canada. Plus, the addition of new stainless steel products on the market translates to grilles and doors that can stand up to heavy rain, snow, and other potentially corrosive environments for years to come.

Some manufactures are also equipping products with features such as plug and play connections and standard sensors to reduce installation time. Liquid-crystal display (LCD) screens, for example, provide step-by-step instructions for door commissioning, electronic limit setting, and status/error messaging. They are also set up to easily accept virtually all parking lot gate activation and safety devices. This allows unparalleled functionality and usability for users.

Conclusion

Today’s high-performance compact rolling grilles also offer a unique esthetic that not only looks great but provides visibility, security, and safety. These esthetically pleasing options look at home in contemporary high-rises and mixed-use facilities sprouting up in Canadian cities. As building design evolves to create the city of tomorrow, rolling grille manufacturers are designing products to match.

DYNAMIC PARKING

[9] In 2018, the International Parking Institute (IPI) released a sweeping trend report[10] 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[11] 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 [12] 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.

 

[13]Heather Bender brings her decade of marketing and product management experience to her current role of strategic marketing manager at CornellCookson. In this position, she is responsible for company growth through the management of a diverse portfolio of new products in the research and development stages. Bender graduated with honors from Misericordia University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and obtained her project management certification from the Pennsylvania State University. She can be reached at heather.bender@cornellcookson.com[14].

Source URL: https://www.constructioncanada.net/parking-in-the-21st-century-manoeuvring-design-challenges-with-high-performance-compact-rolling-grilles/

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