Adaptive reuse has been a hot topic for the parking industry. The public wants efficient, secure, and appealing buildings to create an experience that encapsulates an entire city—and a cement parking garage doesn’t fit that future. The future may be adaptive reuse -- or the idea of building a structure that can be used for many options and can evolve with the city without demolishing it and rebuilding. While there are many benefits of adaptive reuse, the cost-efficient nature of the building, the flexibility, and the reduction of harm to the environment are key factors for why developers want an automated parking garage in an adaptive building.
Cost efficient
Building a structure that can be used for other activities creates a flexible, cost efficient building. Creating an automated parking garage can be as easy as a few racks installed in small confined space. If a developer creates a plan that lets a building be reused, the cost of conversion is far less than a full rebuild. This gives a developer an opportunity to create a space that is unique and enticing in a neighborhood that can be constantly adapted to fit parking, or even office space if needed. The building can be built to commercial standards so that other businesses may move in if the space is no longer needed for parking.
Flexible futures
A parking garage can only serve one purpose—to park cars. Due to the sloped nature of the buildings, the weight standards and the low ceilings, a parking garage isn’t adaptive. These garages are usually bulky and designed with function in mind rather than form, creating a large space in an urban area that is plain and boring. If a developer created a building that was an open concept, an automated parking system could be built to fit the building so that the building itself is never changed. The land will be used daily while people park their cars in the automated system. If a time comes that parking is no longer needed, a team can come in and deconstruct the system, leaving you with an open building ready to cater to its newest tenants. This flexibility lets a developer change their investment with the ebbs and flows of demand.
Environmentally friendly
This planet is the only one we have and recently, there has been a strong push from the public to build and maintain lands in a way that no longer hurts Mother Nature. Creating an adaptive reuse building creates an opportunity for a structure to stand for a long time. An automated parking garage means less driving around to find a spot, less light is needed in the garage, and there is no longer a need for those large, cement ramps. If the structure changes from a parking garage to warehouse space, a building doesn’t have to be demolished with large machinery. The building is truly recycled into its new use, instead of knocking it down and hauling those pieces to the dump while polluting the air and creating more garbage to process.
A building that can be adapted to the future creates a long-term investment that can evolve with the city around it. Parking is evolving and the garages of the past don’t have the space in future cities. If you are looking for more information about how investing in an automated parking garage can benefit you, reach out to Westfalia Parking Solutions today.