2023 IPMI Professional Recognition Awards
Parking & Mobility
July 10, 2023
Presented at the 2023 IPMI Conference 038 Expo
2023 IPMI Awards of Excellence
18 Projects Recognized for Creativity and Innovation
Energized by the momentum of previous years, the 2023 Awards of Excellence program attracted a record number of submissions in 10 different categories. A panel of judges from 20 member organizations representative of the industry’s breadth embraced the challenge of identifying the most exceptional projects from a field of worthy competitors and then deciding which award—Excellence or Merit—they would receive. Not an easy task!
The Award of Excellence recognizes projects or programs with significant industry impact and which set an exemplary standard for their creativity, effectiveness, and achievements. Seven submissions emerged to win this top honor in six different categories, each demonstrating unique approaches to design, operational, environmental, economic, or societal factors, and in some cases, all the above. In fact, two projects submitted by the University of California, Riverside— “Donations for Citations Blood Drive” and “Big Springs Parking Structure 2”—were each dual award winners, taking Excellence and Merit awards in their respective categories.
Eleven submissions garnered Awards of Merit in nine categories. From higher ed campuses to municipal settings and spanning buildings to public awareness campaigns, they represent outstanding examples of projects and programs having a significant local and regional impact.
IPMI congratulates these worthy projects and programs and the passionate, talented teams behind them. On the following pages, we present their accomplishments in words and images that will encourage everyone in the dynamic parking and mobility industry to continue innovating, inspiring, and supporting each other.
Table of Contents
Architectural Design
Newark Green Street Parking Garage
Awarded to: THA Consulting, Inc.
Owner: Newark Parking Authority
Prime Consultants: Netta Architects; Grant Engineering
Total Cost: $34,000,000
Judges’ Comments:
“I appreciate the mixed-use nature of the garage. I like the use of various materials to enhance the aesthetic, such as translucent fiberglass, fiber cement tiles, and extensive glazing. The overall narrative covered what was asked for.”
“The unique design of this garage is a model for safety and privacy.”
The new five-level, three-bay structure occupies one-third of a city block. On the first level, the third bay is office space for the finance department, and the Parking Authority’s offices occupy the third bay on the second level. The first two levels of the garage were designed as a single helix with two-way, 90-degree parking. Levels three through five are flat bays with one-way, angled parking, and the third bay on those levels is dedicated to parking. Reserved parking for municipal court use is also provided.
To provide a comfortable and convenient experience for the many thousands of patrons attending Prudential Center events each year, the entry/exit area is three lanes, allowing the middle lane to be reversed for quicker exiting after events. There are pay-on-foot payment options, as well as pre-event payment to cut down on the wait times at the exits.
Adding to the complexity of this $34 million, mixed-use project is a three-story, 45,000-square-foot liner building on its north side that accommodates office and community space. The street level is allocated to retail use, and the second and third floors incorporate expanded, secure space for the courthouse, with an enclosed pedestrian bridge joining the two buildings. Although the bridge connects the liner building with the court building, the garage connects to it only through a secured door, limiting access to authorized personnel.
Attention to detail is evident in the design of the building’s exterior: it conveys a crisp, modern look to enhance the downtown streetscape while respecting neighborhood context. The design team incorporated several enhanced architectural features on the façade, such as vertical aluminum composite fins and metal panels, as well as in the public spaces and mixed-use elements. The streetscape was furnished with new trees to improve the pedestrian experience along the busy surrounding streets and provide welcome shade during the summer months.
Security and sustainability were among the project priorities. Several enhanced passive and active security measures were incorporated: LED lighting brightens each level; the open structure reduces potential hiding spaces; and the glass-backed stairway and elevator towers add interest to the exterior façade as they enhance visibility and safety. Sustainable design elements include ground floor infrastructure for three dual-point electric vehicle charging stations to service up to six vehicles, and proximity to public transit supports the parking needs of patrons who plan to use any of the options available at Newark’s Penn Station.
Photo credit: THA Consulting, Inc.
Architectural Design
Sierra College Rocklin Parking Structure
Awarded to: Watry Design, Inc.
Owner: Sierra College
Design/Build Partner & General Contractor: McCarthy Building Companies
Total Cost: $ 43,130,788
Situated at the northern edge of Sierra College’s Rocklin, California, campus is a new $43.1 million, 1,500-stall parking structure designed and constructed to support future building elements of a facilities master plan.
Visible from nearby I-80, the five-level, 488,000-square-foot concrete structure’s façade is enlivened by, and its scale visually managed with, the addition of vertical fins and colorful perforated metal banners spanning two levels. The garage’s branding, in the form of prominent metal, backlit signboards spelling out the college’s name at the pedestrian entrances, add to its attractiveness.
The garage’s location provides convenient access to existing and future buildings while diverting traffic from the center of campus. The site’s natural contours allowed the design-build team to redesign the structure within a smaller footprint, its decreased size resulting in more landscaped areas. This solution, aided by 3D modeling, saved the college about $4 million in construction costs.
Sustainable design elements include using fly ash to decrease the amount of new concrete used in construction, 20 EV charging stalls, with provisions for 67 more, and structural loads and columns designed to accommodate photovoltaic roof panels.
With safety and security as a priority, the garage features active measures such as blue light phones and cameras and passive devices such as open stairwells, glass-backed elevators, and cable rails to increase visibility and reduce hiding places.
Photo credit: Jason O’Rear
Innovation in a Mobility, Transportation, or Parking Program
UT Arlington Completes 12 Months of Self-Driving Shuttles for Students
Awarded to: University of Texas at Arlington Parking & Transportation
Owner: University of Texas
Partners/Prime Consultants: May Mobility; Via
Total Cost: $2,845,483
Judges’ Comments:
“This is an amazing collaboration providing both a real-world service and testing of a service of the future. The complexity of this project on many levels is remarkable. The fact that it successfully provided the on-demand service was a testament to the underlying technology and a significant amount of planning and active management.”
“The data and papers that have come out of this forward-thinking project will benefit the industry for many years to come. Well done!”
The main project goal was to demonstrate a successful combination of autonomous vehicle technology with on-demand services to develop an effective, efficient, safe, and accessible transportation network in a low-density setting where traditional fixed-route transit can be impractical. Over 28,000 rides were provided during the 12-month pilot, 99% of which transported UTA students.
Paid for with a $1.7 million Federal Transit Administration grant matched by $1.1 million in local funds, the project lasted a total of 30 months, with 12 months focused on programming, mapping, testing, and education. Year 2 included a full 12-month deployment of the integrated services, data analysis, ridership surveys, and service evaluation. The final six months wrapped up evaluations and shared research-based lessons learned in over 42 academic papers, 16 community events, and more than 20 professional presentations.
There were several measurable outcomes that underscored the project’s success. Operationally, there were no reportable incidents. The vehicles provided 28,000+ rides with an overall satisfaction rating of 4.9 out of 5. They operated in self-driving mode an average of 80% of the time and arrived by the predicted time 99% of the time. From a research perspective, study findings were shared widely within the industry. More than 42 research-based academic publications have been published to share best practices and lessons learned, and more than 36 additional informational presentations have been given by project partners.
This opportunity had its roots in the pandemic, when smaller vehicle capacities were preferred by riders practicing social distancing. UTA quickly recognized a need and pivoted operations by eliminating redundant service modes after ridership fell on the traditional larger-capacity campus shuttle bus service. As a result, the university parked its larger 32-passenger fixed-route shuttle buses. It focused exclusively on offering a three-month service modification where only self-driving shuttles were used for the campus circulator, saving $111,000 in operating costs. These savings were later reapplied to this project after the grant-funded free fares for students were exhausted early due to high demand.
This project is the first in the country to implement self-driving on-demand service into a university and public transportation system with payment integrations. Additionally, project partners quickly recognized the opportunity to be the first university in the country to offer self-driving shuttles to students to demonstrate what the future of campus mobility may look like.
Photo Credits: Via Transportation, May Mobility, City of Arlington
Innovation in a Mobility, Transportation, or Parking Program
Pittsburgh Smart Loading Zone Pilot
Awarded to: Automotus
Owner: Pittsburgh Parking Authority
Prime Consultant: Automotus
Total Cost: $100,000
In 2021, the Pittsburgh Parking Authority (PPA), the Pittsburgh Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI), and curb management company Automotus embarked on a groundbreaking initiative to enable the city to monitor and manage its loading zones more effectively. This smart loading zone (SLZ) pilot project included the installation of innovative digital camera technology to collect data on curb usage, with the option to automatically bill drivers who park in these zones.
An important goal was to facilitate the monetization of loading zones throughout the city. Monetization incentivizes loading zone turnover and reduces double parking, decreasing the amount of time vehicles spend idling and thus their carbon emissions. It also increases loading zone availability, improving compliance and creating a more efficient experience for all.
DOMI also sought to obtain essential data from loading zones throughout the city, evaluate patterns from the data, and make policy decisions to improve utilization and compliance. The first phase of the pilot program included the installation of SLZ technology across 20 zones within five participating Pittsburgh neighborhoods.
The results have been exemplary, increasing loading zone turnover by 40%, reducing the average loading zone parking stay by 23%, decreasing double parking incidents, and increasing the overall safety for drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists throughout these areas.
Photo credit: Automotus
Marketing and Communications, Private Sector
Simplify Your Summer
Awarded to: PayByPhone
Owner: PayByPhone
Total Cost: $81,000
The campaign integrated multiple consumer touch points, including engagement on social media, promotion through local media partnerships, giveaway sweepstakes, and website landing pages. Each city’s campaign was differentiated by a unique color that was applied across all associated media. Custom landing pages were created to distinguish the campaigns further.
The company’s in-house marketing team led the design of the campaign creative for social posts, landing pages, the visuals to support sponsored articles, digital ads, and associated copy. The team also established partnerships and coordinated deliverables with several media agencies, working through creative, visuals, website pages, social posts, banner ads, and radio scripts.
The multifaceted campaigns racked up impressive analytics for digital media and webpage engagement, as well as for participation in the giveaway sweepstakes where two winners per city received a prize for two people to enjoy multiple summer activities through CityPASS (Seattle and San Francisco) and Explorer PASS (Miami) bundles.
Marketing and Communications, Public Sector
Donations for Citations Blood Drive
Awarded to: UC Riverside Transportation Services
Owner: UC Riverside Transportation Services
Prime Consultant: LifeStream Blood Bank
Total Cost: $590
Judges’ Comments:
“One of the most creative and innovative parking citation amnesty programs I have seen.”
“This is an admirable and creative program. When criticism was leveled at UCR for linking blood donations to parking ticket fines, UC Riverside pivoted and played up that connection in a positive, light-hearted way related to the Halloween season.”
The fall semester is a busy time of year, with everyone returning to campus. Newcomers are not always aware of the parking rules and regulations, and as a result, citations increase. This campaign allowed the campus community to donate blood instead of paying a citation fee, with a credit of up to $75 towards parking violations.
Different ideas for the campaign were pitched, such as a food drive for the food-insecure or a holiday toy drive. At the time, there was a national blood shortage due to the pandemic. Supplies in Riverside were also low, with less than 10% of the eligible population donating. Thus, responding to a real and dire community need, the “blood” theme was born, taking on a life of its own with associated art and messaging.
Digital ads were posted on social media, student and staff intranet portals, and TV screen ads in dining halls and residential buildings. Additionally, printed flyers were distributed to each department, A-frame signs were placed in parking lots and busy walkways, and e-blasts were sent to parking permit holders.
UC Riverside was proud to partner with LifeStream as an approved vendor that has served the Inland Empire since 1951, providing blood bank services to more than 80 Southern California hospitals and medical facilities in six counties. What was ideal about this partnership was that there was no cost associated with having them host a blood drive on-site, enabling the university to reduce setup costs and focus its resources on marketing and in-house labor costs.
The initial response to the program was mixed. Early feedback included remarks about how it excluded those who were not eligible to donate blood. To address this concern, if the person attempted to give blood, the citation credit was given. If someone could not give blood for any reason, they could also have another person donate on their behalf. Donations given at official blood banks were also honored if they were completed within a specific time frame. The local community was also encouraged to participate, with their credits being applied to a random citation picked through a raffle system.
Although it benefited UC Riverside parking customers, the program’s main goal was to assist the surrounding community by providing much-needed blood products to local hospitals. It was a success, with over 180 donations that helped more than 500 hospital patients. Seventy-two citation fines were reduced, and $5,400 in fees were forgiven—a small price to pay for saving lives. Capitalizing on the success of the 2021 program, the Donations for Citations program returned for an encore on Halloween 2022, running for two days under a new vampire-themed slogan, “We’ll Take a Bite Out of Your Citation.”
Marketing and Communications, Public Sector
Lancaster Parking Authority: Supporting the Economic Growth and Vitality of a Great City
Awarded to: Lancaster Parking Authority
Owner:Lancaster Parking Authority
Prime Consultant: aideM Media Solutions Inc.
Total Cost: $5,180
To showcase its role in supporting the city’s economic growth and vitality and convey that they do much more than park cars and write tickets, the LPA chose video as the medium for its uplifting message. Executive Director Larry Cohen hired local videographer aideM Media to produce the 3:05-minute promotional piece.
The fast-paced video humanizes the Authority by including employees at work and interacting with the public. Scenes move swiftly from vintage photos to modern facilities incorporating mural art, EV charging stations, and payment kiosks; a mobile payment app; street cleaning; and awards and accolades, including interviews with the city’s mayor and the president of Lancaster City Alliance. The LPA is thoughtfully presented as a vital and respected service that actively contributes daily to the city’s vibrancy, safety, and cleanliness through the efforts of committed leadership and a hardworking, diverse staff. View it here.
Marketing and Communications, Public Sector
Scooter Safety Program
Awarded to: UCLA Transportation
Category: Marketing and Communications, Public Sector
Owner: UCLA Transportation
Prime Consultant: N/A
Total Cost: $ 8,385
The awareness campaign stressed the importance of keeping pathways safe for pedestrians, motorists, cyclists, and other e-mobility users. The message was communicated across various mediums, including outdoor signage, print collateral, advertisements, email marketing, and social media. Key messages were relayed through original artwork across different channels, including newspaper ads, newsletter articles, website content, blog posts, and videos for Instagram and TikTok. To amplify the campaign, the in-house team created a press kit and shared it with colleagues from different UCLA departments and organizations.
In collaboration with the university’s police department (UCPD), the team conceived “Meal Tickets Over Real Tickets,” an innovative two-week program to promote scooter safety. UCPD officers rewarded students who observed a specific dismount zone with a meal voucher at a UCLA restaurant. A short video was created and shared on various university channels and social media.
Mixed-Use Parking & Mobility Facility Design
Oklahoma City Convention Center Parking Garage
Awarded to: Kimley-Horn
Owner: EMBARK—Central Oklahoma Transit & Parking Authority
Prime Consultants: TAP Architecture (Architect of Record),
CEC (MEP Engineer for lighting, power distribution, HVAC, and plumbing design),
Manhattan Construction Company (General Contractor)
Total Cost: $23,600,000
Judges’ Comments:
“The thoughtfulness to expand the parking structure in the future for additional use is not only smart, but a necessity in today’s growing world, and the proactiveness to address storm sewer concerns now will only be a benefit in the future.”
“Beautiful design and utilization of the space. I like how they planned for future spaces and enhanced sidewalks and lighting bases for pedestrians. Way to link parkers and non-parkers together! The design of the panels looks great from the outside, but I really like how it also enhances the inside of the garage.”
When it opened in January 2021, the Oklahoma City Convention Center quickly became a premier meeting destination in the south-central United States. The 288,000-square-foot facility located at the edge of 40-acre Scissortail Park is also adjacent to the Chesapeake Energy Arena, home to the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder; Myriad Botanic Gardens; and the Omni Oklahoma City Hotel. Serving these and other downtown venues is a new 1,100-stall parking garage. Designed to accommodate a future mixed-use development wrap, it currently provides 3,000 square feet of office space for the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority (COTPA).
Occupying a one-acre site, the 413,360-square-foot, six-level garage also has a half-level basement to accommodate hotel visitors and an enclosed skyway bridge providing pedestrian connections. The elevated decks consist of double-threaded helix ramps and tapered, cantilevered beams on the building’s southern flat bay. Constructed of a post-tensioned concrete framing system with a precast concrete exterior and a curtain wall system with brick veneer, the three-bay garage features 9- by 18-foot stalls oriented at 70° with 25-foot-wide one-way drive access aisles. Patrons are served by gated entrances/exits on three sides, with the access points providing 12 lanes—two full-time entrances, one full-time exit lane, and nine lanes that can be shifted in either direction. There are 33 accessible parking spaces. Designed for future flexibility, the garage can be vertically expanded by 300 spaces.
The most visually striking aspect of the garage is a six-level art installation covering its south, east, and west exterior facades. UK-based architectural glass artist Martin Donlin was commissioned by the COTPA and the Oklahoma City Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs to design the piece, titled “What is the City but the People.” It features over a million individual components, including 88,708 4-inch by 4-inch colorful translucent tiles depicting 40-foot-tall human figures. As viewers outside the garage change vantage points, the figures appear and disappear among the colors. From the inside, the artwork becomes an abstract field of colored walls. The tiles, which are made of polycarbonate material designed to withstand debris impact from F3 tornadic winds, are fastened to steel cables spanning from the second to the sixth floor of the facility. The installation took 1,400 hours to construct.
The safety and security of the facility’s patrons were an important design consideration. CCTV cameras are installed throughout the building, including the main drive aisles, the entrances to the vertical circulation, and the ground-level entries. Each camera is patched through the owner’s security network to the command center situated in COTPA’s offices located within the mixed-use space. The command center provides real-time monitoring of the cameras. In addition to these safety and security measures, COTPA security staff provide physical security for each level after hours. To create a more open feel and facilitate even distribution of lighting, 12-foot floor-to-floor heights were used.
This project received Engineering News-Record’s 2022 Best Projects Award of Merit, the American Institute of Architects Central Oklahoma High Design Award in the large commercial building category, and the Associated General Contractors of Oklahoma “Best of the Best” Award.
Photo credit: Steve Voekler/Voekler Photo LLC
Mixed-Use Parking & Mobility Facility Design
The Collins Park “Arts & Letters” Parking Garage
Awarded to: KVC Constructors, Inc.
Owner: City of Miami Beach (Department of Capital Improvements)
Prime Consultants: Design Architect: Shulman + Associates; Architect of Record: Wolfberg Alvarez & Partners
Total Cost: $22,465,009
Judges’ Comments:
“This design is beautiful! I love the integration of the plaza ground connecting life together. It brings a little more life to the surrounding area.”
“I liked the use of the perforated metallic skin to tell the story of the city’s history, culture, art, and how it looks at night. Great area to link several communities together.”
Since its opening in 2021, the distinctive Collins Park Garage in Miami Beach, Florida, has garnered well-deserved attention. The winner of a 2022 award of excellence by the Florida Parking & Transportation Association has received Parksmart Silver certification and is also the city’s second project to achieve LEED Gold certification. Located in the heart of the city’s Art Deco arts and culture district, the facility accommodates 516 vehicles on seven levels, along with bicycle parking and 16,720 square feet of retail space on the ground level. Flanked by the Miami City Ballet, the Bass Museum of Art, and the Regional Public Library, the garage elegantly merges style and function while solving a basic community need.
The most distinguishing feature of the precast concrete structure is its façade, which is composed of perforated aluminum cladding featuring words arranged in the form of a crossword puzzle. The “Arts & Letters” concept from the design-build team physically infused the building with the spirit of Miami Beach and the Collins Park neighborhood, as told through a word matrix displaying the names, places, buildings, geographical features, events, and institutions that characterize the area. The word matrices were achieved by adjusting the sizes of the perforations. By varying the degree of perforation and by carefully employing lighting, the building’s functional facade became a unique attraction. The selection of words, names, and other terms was a community project involving civic institutions, stakeholders, historians, artists, and residents.
The most visually striking aspect of the garage is a six-level art installation covering its south, east, and west exterior facades. UK-based architectural glass artist Martin Donlin was commissioned by the COTPA and the Oklahoma City Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs to design the piece, titled “What is the City but the People.” It features over a million individual components, including 88,708 4-inch by 4-inch colorful translucent tiles depicting 40-foot-tall human figures. As viewers outside the garage change vantage points, the figures appear and disappear among the colors. From the inside, the artwork becomes an abstract field of colored walls. The tiles, which are made of polycarbonate material designed to withstand debris impact from F3 tornadic winds, are fastened to steel cables spanning from the second to the sixth floor of the facility. The installation took 1,400 hours to construct.
The safety and security of the facility’s patrons were an important design consideration. CCTV cameras are installed throughout the building, including the main drive aisles, the entrances to the vertical circulation, and the ground-level entries. Each camera is patched through the owner’s security network to the command center situated in COTPA’s offices located within the mixed-use space. The command center provides real-time monitoring of the cameras. In addition to these safety and security measures, COTPA security staff provide physical security for each level after hours. To create a more open feel and facilitate even distribution of lighting, 12-foot floor-to-floor heights were used.
This project received Engineering News-Record’s 2022 Best Projects Award of Merit, the American Institute of Architects Central Oklahoma High Design Award in the large commercial building category, and the Associated General Contractors of Oklahoma “Best of the Best” Award.
Photo Credit: Raul Pedroso, Solo Photography
Mixed-Use Parking & Mobility Facility Design
Fort Lee Guntzer Street Parking Garage
Awarded to: THA Consulting, Inc.
Owner: Fort Lee Parking Authority
Prime Consultants: THA Consulting, Inc., Epic Management
Total Cost: $14,000,000
Since its opening in 2021, the distinctive Collins Park Garage in Miami Beach, Florida, has garnered well-deserved attention. The winner of a 2022 award of excellence by the Florida Parking & Transportation Association has received Parksmart Silver certification and is also the city’s second project to achieve LEED Gold certification. Located in the heart of the city’s Art Deco arts and culture district, the facility accommodates 516 vehicles on seven levels, along with bicycle parking and 16,720 square feet of retail space on the ground level. Flanked by the Miami City Ballet, the Bass Museum of Art, and the Regional Public Library, the garage elegantly merges style and function while solving a basic community need.
The most distinguishing feature of the precast concrete structure is its façade, which is composed of perforated aluminum cladding featuring words arranged in the form of a crossword puzzle. The “Arts & Letters” concept from the design-build team physically infused the building with the spirit of Miami Beach and the Collins Park neighborhood, as told through a word matrix displaying the names, places, buildings, geographical features, events, and institutions that characterize the area. The word matrices were achieved by adjusting the sizes of the perforations. By varying the degree of perforation and by carefully employing lighting, the building’s functional facade became a unique attraction. The selection of words, names, and other terms was a community project involving civic institutions, stakeholders, historians, artists, and residents.
Mixed-Use Parking & Mobility Facility Design
Virginia Commonwealth University Adult Outpatient Pavilion Garage
Awarded to: Walter P Moore
Owner: Virginia Commonwealth University
Prime Consultants: For primary project team firms, click here.
Total Cost: $384,000,000
Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) academic medical system is ranked as one of the top three healthcare institutions in the state and in the top 100 nationally. The new 17-story, 615,000-square-foot Adult Outpatient Pavilion consolidated 26 specialties and the Massey Cancer Center into an award-winning state-of-the-art facility in downtown Richmond. Its 425,000-square-foot, fully integrated parking structure provides 1,109 spaces, of which there are 150 valet spaces on two below-grade levels and 959 self-park spaces in 10 above-grade levels. The garage’s façade is covered in coiled metal fabric matching VCU’s brand color. The material allows ventilation and visibility while projecting the appearance of a solid wall from afar.
In keeping with VCU’s goal of an enhanced patient experience, separate valet and drop-off areas for the outpatient facilities and the Massey Cancer Center were provided. At the cancer center, the Walter P Moore team designed a convenient entrance on the garden level, providing immunocompromised or limited mobility patients access to dedicated valet services. The garage’s self-park portion has two entrances/exits, maximizing on-site queuing space while minimizing the impact to busy adjacent streets. Ambulances and medical transit vehicles are accommodated at a dedicated loading/unloading area on Level 1.
Stand-Alone Structured Parking Facility Design
San Mateo County Government Center Parking Structure
Awarded to: Watry Design, Inc.
Owner: San Mateo County
Prime Consultants: Watry Design, Inc., VIA Architecture, Truebeck Construction
Total Cost: $47,339,858
Judges’ Comments:
“The multifunctional design for future use is forward thinking. The multimodal and parking systems create today’s functionality. The design features with the façade and local artist involvement are architecturally and aesthetically pleasing.”
“The entirety of this project is impressive from start to finish. The fact that there are so many amenities and design features within the project proves the design team thought of everything. The fact that the first floor can be repurposed shows the thought that was put into what the customer is requesting.”
As part of a massive project to improve government services and facilities for both residents and employees of San Mateo County, the new County Office Building #3 (COB-3) in Redwood City, California, will house a variety of services on a single civic campus when it opens in late 2023. Because the new building will increase parking demand while removing existing surface parking, a new parking structure was critical to achieving this vision. Located on the site of the former jury parking lot, the seven-level, 1,002-stall facility opened in September 2021, successfully meeting a construction timeline that was vital to ensuring county staff had a place to park.
The concrete structure’s façade features a porous metal screen that animates the building by appearing to change depending on the angle and time of day that it is viewed. It also promotes natural ventilation while softening the massive building’s exterior facing Veterans Boulevard. At the corner of the boulevard and Brewster Avenue, the screen cleverly incorporates an artistic interpretation of the county logo. On the opposite side, two open egress stairs clad in metal screens provide views to and from a pedestrian promenade that connects the new structure to existing office buildings and the upcoming COB-3. The stair towers embrace a drought-tolerant landscaped plaza replete with naturalistic stormwater management features.
Gracing the plaza—a visually welcoming gateway—is a compelling public art installation by local artist Gordon Huether. The whimsical piece, called “Hubcaps,” stands 13 feet tall and consists of a thousand gleaming chrome hubcaps applied to a large sphere. The plaza also includes provisions for mobile food carts or a coffee kiosk.
In alignment with the county’s goals to achieve net zero energy for the new campus, the parking structure includes a 1,350 photovoltaic panel rooftop system with an annual production of around 900,000-kilowatt hours. Energy generated by the solar panels will be used during peak hours, allowing the county to avoid the highest electricity rates. The panels are estimated to reduce the county’s emissions by 130 tons of carbon dioxide per year. With support from the Peninsula Clean Energy Electric Vehicle Ready program, the facility was equipped with 124 EV charging ports. Sufficient infrastructure was provided to expand that capacity to accommodate several hundred more ports.
To facilitate throughput at peak entry and exit times during the workday, the main entrance features a reversible lane. As employees enter the facility through gate control systems activated by badged credentials, camera-based smart sensors using red and green lights help parkers navigate the garage by indicating which spaces are available and occupied. Dynamic signage at each level also indicates availability, minimizing traffic congestion and increasing garage efficiency.
The county prioritized flexibility and chose to “future proof” their parking investment should demand decrease in the future. To meet this goal, the ground floor was designed with increased floor-to-floor heights compatible with human-occupied uses. The structure also utilizes a semi-helix express ramp, the location and placement of which will allow access to the upper levels of parking if the ground floor is converted to alternative use in the future.
Photo credit: Lucas Fladzinski
Structured Parking Facility Restoration
City of Vancouver Daycare Centre
Awarded to: EasyPark
Owner: City of Vancouver
Prime Consultants: Acton Ostry Architects (For additional team members, click here)
Total Cost: $17,000,000
In 1995, the city of Vancouver acquired the former Woodward’s department store parking garages, or “parkades” as they are called in Canada. The city subsequently renovated the mid-block concrete structures separated by Blood Alley to maintain the primary supply of parking spaces in the historic Gastown district. Over time, economic and demographic shifts led to underutilization of the parkades concurrent with an urgent need for affordable childcare, sparking a radically innovative idea by the city to use the twin parkade rooftops as the site for a childcare facility that opened in May 2021.
Designed by Acton Ostry Architects atop parkades operated by EasyPark, the two single-story buildings function as one, connected by a pedestrian bridge over the alleyway. Together they accommodate 74 children aged 0 to 5 in 10,000 square feet of indoor and 11,000 square feet of outdoor space featuring spectacular panoramic views through protective glass walls. One-third of the registration slots are reserved for low-income families.
These are the first childcare facilities in Canada to be located atop a parkade, representing an inspired solution to repurpose underutilized space and provide additional childcare options in Vancouver’s downtown core. The pioneering Passive House and LEED Gold-certified project is a unique example of creative problem-solving and parking garage versatility.
Photo Credits: top left-Paul Warchoi; City of Vancouver
Structured Parking Facility Restoration
Parking Lot 13 Restoration
Awarded to: UC Riverside Transportation Services
Owner: University of California, Riverside
Prime Consultant: N/A
Total Cost: $394,000
The University of California, Riverside’s (UC Riverside) Parking Lot 13 renovation project was focused on revitalizing the remaining portion of the lot left in place after the site was used to provide land for the new 1,079 Big Springs Parking Structure 2. The challenge was transforming the 50-year-old parking lot into a modern and attractive facility to enhance the campus’s growing hard science district and the adjoining Botanic Gardens. The scope of work for the 208-space lot involved repaving the asphalt surface, landscaping, lighting, and ADA parking.
UC Riverside’s team was determined to improve the facility without significantly increasing staff to maintain it. This was achieved through improvements such as using native rock mulch to suppress weed growth and solar-powered compacting trash cans that reduced collections by 90%. Among the other upgrades were drought-resistant landscaping, stormwater infiltration areas, planting of additional trees to meet the goal of one per eight spaces, protection of existing shade trees as habitat, and LED lighting for walkways and parking lot light poles.
The project brought Parking Lot 13 up to current design standards and exceeded code requirements by providing additional ADA spaces so there would never be a shortage. Although the ADA and walkway improvements accounted for over 50% of the total cost, providing equal access to the campus was a vital investment priority.
Photo credit: Andrew Stewart
Sustainable Design
Big Springs Parking Structure 2
Awarded to: UC Riverside Transportation Services
Owner: University of California, Riverside
Prime Consultant: Design-build team of PCL, Watry Design, Inc., and Steinberg-Hart
Total Cost: $24,500,000
Judges’ Comments:
“The project checked many boxes. It was built out of need and focused on renewable, regional, and recycled materials from day one. The project included additional sustainable elements, like a commitment to EV charging, but was not excessive.”
“Achieving Gold LEED status while aiming for Silver is a remarkable achievement.”
Nestled into a hillside with a magnificent view of Box Springs Mountain is the University of California, Riverside’s (UC Riverside) newest four-level parking facility, Big Springs Parking Structure 2. Prominently located at the east end of campus, it opened in August 2021, adding 1,079 parking spaces for students, staff, faculty, and visitors and directly responding to the demands of a growing university whose development projects were taking over older surface lots.
When UC Riverside began the planning process to provide additional parking for the expanding campus, goals were developed to guide the design and construction process. The facility needed to preserve campus land for possible future academic development; be a model for future campus transportation facilities; push industry standards for efficient facility design, delivery, and operation; and meet or exceed the university’s sustainability goals and California’s green building program requirements.
To meet these goals, the Parksmart certification program was used as a design and construction guide for the project development team. At the completion of construction, the campus submitted the project and operating documentation required by the Parksmart program for review to attain a Silver certification level. However, the team’s diligence and attention to detail paid off, and the project achieved Gold certification.
Among the sustainable design elements were:
- Regional, reused, repurposed, and recycled materials comprise the parking structure, which was constructed with regional labor.
- The use of non- or low-VOC coatings, paints, and sealants to assist in the reduction of air contamination throughout the structure.
- Participation in sustainable purchasing programs such as Green Spend and Economically and Socially Responsible Spend.
- An energy-efficient lighting system designed to maintain the required illumination with proficient energy use on the site without sacrificing high energy usage.
- Water-efficient landscaping featuring drought-tolerant native vegetation that adhered to the LEED Outdoor Water Use Reduction requirements.
- Stormwater management via bio-retention basins at the perimeter of the building and site parking lot islands. An erosion and sedimentation control plan satisfies the requirements of the U.S. EPA Construction General Permit.
- As part of the original design and commitment to UC Riverside’s zero carbon footprint goal, the roof can accommodate the installation of photovoltaic solar panels.
- The consistent use of environmentally safe cleaning products and waste disposal.
- An iconic tower branded with the UC Riverside blue and gold colors and a unifying “blue ribbon” that encapsulates the elevator tower and accentuates exterior walls combine to distinguish the structure and connect it visually to other campus buildings. The east façade is enlivened by climbing vines attached to green screens that double as shading devices.
The project features several accessibility elements including two-lane entrances and exits for ease of access, a parking guidance system on each level, and 105 combined Level I and Level II EV charging spaces to support the university’s commitment to reducing resource usage and greenhouse gas emissions. Alternative transportation is supported by bicycle parking and maintenance stations that provide safe storage and tools for self-service repairs. Lastly, as a visible sign of UC Riverside’s environment-forward position, recycling bins are located throughout each level of the structure. ◆
Photo credit: Pablo Mason
Dorothy J. Verdon, CPSM is Owner of Bright Bunny Communications.
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Dorothy J. Verdon, CPSMhttps://parking-mobility-magazine.org/author/dorothy-j-verdon-cpsm/
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Dorothy J. Verdon, CPSMhttps://parking-mobility-magazine.org/author/dorothy-j-verdon-cpsm/
Bethlehem Parking Authority Receives 2023 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence
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The Bethlehem Parking Authority is proud to announce that they
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Mark Lyons, CAPP
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