“The Nation’s First Sustainable Solar-Powered Parking Structure”
An article entitled Sustainable Parking Structure Will Have Santa Monica Motorists Seeing Green in the LookOut News describes a new parking structure with seemingly impecable environmental credentials. I’m certainly impressed by its features including “photovoltaic roof panels, a storm drain water treatment system, recycled construction materials and energy efficient mechanical systems”. As noted, this may be the nation’s first LEED certified garage - its about time!
I don’t mean to rain on the parade, but I’m less impressed with some other aspects of this project. For starters, the garage has “sweeping city and ocean views” - why in the world was it not built with residential and/or office space around the outside of the structure?! A garage with great views is a wasted opportunity. Santa Monica residents should hold their politicians accountable for wasting these valuable views on such a low-value use as parking.
The cost of the project also seems way too high - even after subtracting the $1.5mil solar system from the $29mil project cost, you are still left with a per parking space cost of over $31,000! Some underground garages, which typically incur the highest construction costs, are built for a per-space price less than that - and they leave the valuable airspace above for higher value development. It is unfortunate that this, the first LEED certified garage, will suggest to the parking industry that environmentally-friendly garages cost much more - I’m guessing that this project will actually do more harm than good when it comes to encouraging the parking garage industry to become more sustainable.
Also noted in the article is a $180mil plan to add 1,712 parking spaces to downtown. While I’m sure this number includes a lot of parking structure rehabilitation, and probably construction of non-parking components like the ground floor retail in this garage, $105,000 each to add parking spaces seems WAY too high a price to pay. I’d imagine that money could be much more effectively spent on Transportation Demand Management efforts to reduce parking demand, rather than on increasing parking supply.
Criticisms aside, I’m excited to see sustainable practices creeping into the parking industry, and I applaud Santa Monica for gathering the political will (and budget!) to make this important project a reality.
April 12th, 2007 at 9:10 am
$31,000 per parking space is not out of line for what we have to spend in California for parking. We are begging the design process for a new structure in the City of Ventura up the coast from Santa Monica and we are budgeting $35,000 per space plus property acquisition.
May 8th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
The vibrant colors you see are painted planks of LINIT channel glass, imported to the USA by Bendheim Wall Systems from Lamberts in Germany. BWS is proud to be part of Moore Ruble Yudell’s LEED parking garage. Another interesting green parking garage project in California featuring LINIT channel glass - in a very different arrangement - is the UCSF Mission Bay parking garage designed by Stanley Saitowitz/Natoma Architects. Both projects will have photovoltaics on the roof, and the UCSF garage will also have building integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs) on the southern façade. Also, three of the six 2007 AIA NY Chapter Architecture Honor Award winners feature LINIT channel glass on their exteriors: the Boston ICA; the Central Section/Higgins Hall at Pratt Institute; and the new Swiss Embassy residence. Bendheim Wall Systems has more experience with channel glass than any firm in North America and we will assist you in creating an award-winning project, such as those seen on www.bendheimwall.com. Any questions call me at 800.221.7379 X223 or write me at mfink@bendheim.com. Thank you, Marc Fink.