TemPark™ - Innovative parking surface at UCF

TemPark is a patented, high-quality polyester/polypropylene geotextile that is a “roll-out” temporary parking surface. It has been used in the automotive/railway industry for more than six years, but never before used in a university setting. Ms. Polivka-Adams suggested that TemPark be used in lieu of an ordinary dirt lot or a more expensive paved lot. It so happened that a 2.85 acre wooded area on the campus, in the vicinity of the to-be-closed lot, was available. The TemPark experts drew up plans for this area and presented them to the University. Sold on the idea, UCF gave TemPark the nod to proceed.

First, TemPark cleared the area, graded the surface, and laid crushed stone as a sub base. They then rolled out the artificial surface in 24’ x 300’ rolls. They then heat-welded the seams, and tensioned and striped the lot. "By striping the parking lot we can park up to 46% more cars", said John Clark, the UCF Asst. Director for Parking & Transportation. Clark added, “That is what sold me on the idea. Otherwise, we would not have been able to replace all of the spaces that we are losing by closing down the other lot. We simply wanted to maximize use of the space we had, and saw this as the way to do it. As it turned out, by installing the TemPark product, we more than made up for the displaced spaces.” We lost 275 spaces and picked up 298.” “Had we not used a surface that could be striped, and just left it a dirt surface, we probably would have given up 100 spaces.” Clark has fondly dubbed the new TemPark surface “the dirt rug.”

TemPark is also extremely cost-effective. Its use has saved the University up to 40% of the cost of asphalt. Also, because TemPark is 100% water permeable, its use does not require a retention pond, which would have greatly increased the overall cost had a paved surface been constructed. The anticipated duration of TemPark’s use at this location is 3 years. Tentative future plans for the site includes the construction of another multi-level parking garage.



UCF is currently researching the possibility of transforming some of its other dirt parking lots into striped TemPark lots, and possibly even re-using this covering once it is removed from this site. Thus, this lot has been officially named, “TemPark 1,” which also differentiates it from the other “temporary” parking lots on the campus.

The opening of “TemPark 1” and a “ribbon cutting” ceremony is scheduled for the first week of August. Various UCF officials, to include its Vice President for Administration and Finance, the Director of Public Safety and Police, as well as Clark and representatives of Physical Plant and the School of Engineering are among the invitees to the event.