Parksmart is all in: Certification now a fit for all parking structures

For the green building community, every challenge is an opportunity: How do we leverage our assets to create triple-bottom-line value for our investors, our users and our future?

Today’s parking and transportation assets—be they structures, surface lots, bike share stations, EV charging infrastructure or the people who keep them all working—are the building blocks for a future of more mobility for more people, using less resources, while creating healthier communities.

Parksmart and LEED: Creating ripples beyond the building

Real estate owners are amplifying the sustainable impact of their properties by embracing both LEED and Parksmart certifications. Parksmart, the world’s only rating system advancing sustainable mobility through smarter parking structure design and operation, expands sustainable mobility opportunities for both tenants and visitors.

1250 Connecticut Avenue

1250 Connecticut Avenue is an eight-story Washington D.C. office building in the Dupont Circle area. The LEED Gold building hosts offices, an upscale fashion boutique, salon and spa, steak house, and a 24-hour taco stand. Operated by Impark, the garage integrates Impark’s Go Green offerings with Brookfield’s building recycling program. The garage stays open later than most of the surrounding garages to provide neighborhood parking.

Management highlights:

Cal Poly Pomona Parking Structure 2

Cal Poly Pomona has a long history of promoting sustainable practices and environmental awareness. Parking Structure 2 was designed, built and is operated with those things in mind and the University is proud to have achieved Parksmart certification at the Bronze Level for its newest 1,818-space parking structure.

811 Main

Wrapped in a glass façade and vegetative roof, the 1,118-space BG Group Place brought Class A, sustainable development to a downtown Houston block. Energy efficient lighting and ventilation technologies and a condensate recovery system reduce the property’s resource consumption, while nearby bicycle sharing and metro rail access provide commuters with a variety of transportation options.

Management highlights

1600 Smith

The 1600 Smith Garage is a 14-story above grade garage with 2,577 total spaces. It offers several exciting amenities for customers, including dry cleaners, designated and secure motorcycle parking, bicycle parking, electric vehicle charging stations, designated parking for all fuel-efficient vehicles, and a car wash. Level 2 is reserved for vanpool, carpool, car sharing, fuel-efficient hybrids, and electric vehicles only.

How smart parking access systems reduce emissions

If you've ever pulled a ticket or driven through a gated lane to park a car, then you've interacted with a PARCS, the industry acronym for a Parking Access and Revenue Control System.This feature is used in nearly every modern garage, so you might not even notice it. However, that gate arm may be needlessly adding toxic emissions to the air you breathe.

2017 LEEP Award Winners Recognized for Achievement in Energy Efficiency

Annual LEEP awards honor organizations for cutting energy use in parking facilities

Chengdu’s West Village is First in China to Earn Parksmart Certification for Sustainable Parking Design and Operation

West Village is the first Parksmart-certified project in Asia and outside of the U.S.

West Village

West Village is a multi-functional complex that houses businesses championing a creative lifestyle and provides a comforting retreat from the fast-paced city for all tenants, workers and visitors. The site spans an entire city block in Chengdu and features a courtyard style building with office and retail space that surrounds an extensive sports field used for community and recreational activities.