TimHaahs Helps Create Green(er) Spaces and Places

TimHaahs recently worked with the City of Fort Lauderdale, the Green Parking Council, and the International Parking Institute on an initiative to transform one of the City’s parking lots into a more sustainable asset and operation. This unique and collaborative program reviewed and adapted multiple rating systems and frameworks to create a “greener” lot at the City’s “Orchid Lot” serving the City’s courthouse.

The highly-visible location of the lot will serve not only as an attractive destination within the community, but also help to educate people about the opportunities to integrate sustainability in even an unusual place like a parking lot.
The diagram below showcases many of the sustainability measures designed and implemented by the partners in this creative pilot program.

TimHaahs understands that true sustainability does not end at the building footprint. No matter what the framework – LEED, Green Globes, Sustainable Sites, etc. – each of these rating systems considers the location of high performing buildings as well as the complex relationship of transportation, land use, and density. As the sustainability movement matures, it can be challenging to select the most appropriate rating system to benchmark a new facility. The parking industry is no exception.

imageLEED, Green Globes, and EPA standards have been used as frameworks to plan, design, build and renovate parking and mixed-use structures. Sustainability may be integrated, and “built into” projects and operations in a variety of ways. The industry has taken a great leap forward this year with the launch of the Certified Green Garage BETA program by the Green Parking Council (GPC). The GPC developed this standard through a collaborative process with over 200 volunteers and subject matter experts, and is in the process of implementing this industry-specific rating system for both new and existing parking structures, the first of its kind. The system emphasizes location and mobility, as well as design, technology, and operations. The GPC has innovated the fill the void in the sustainability movement, tackling the unique issues and opportunities presented by this building type. The culmination of this process is the launch of the BETA program in 2013, which is currently “road testing” the certification standard by benchmarking the “greenest” garages in the country.

Mixed-use and parking structures now can be evaluated by an effective and appropriate tool to improve our facilities. However, many of our parking assets are surface lots, which can also be evaluated, benchmarked, and improved.
The City of Fort Lauderdale has taken a very progressive approach to integrating sustainability within its parking design and operations procedures, and plans to implement these practices at additional parking lots throughout the City.