CREATING MORE SPACE IN COPENHAGEN

In many respects, Copenhagen is a role model for several of the world’s large cities when it comes to sustainable development. For instance, the Danish capital is the world´s first carbon-neutral capital. So it’s fitting that some the city’s parking structures are automated, saving space and cutting down on auto emissions compared to conventional self-park parking garages.

The Under Elmene parking garage in Copenhagen is an underground pallet-based system for public parking. It was built in 2010 and offers almost 10,800 square feet (1,000 square meters) of parking in a highly condensed and populated city. The garage includes three transfer cabins with two cranes and three scissor lifts to move around the vehicles. It has five levels and offers 268 parking spaces.

The underground automated parking garage operates much like aboveground automated parking structures. Once the user has parked the vehicle in one of the three transfer cabins and answered the questions on the display system, the vehicle is moved on a lift to be handed over to a crane, delivering the vehicle to its allocated storage position. Upon request, the crane retrieves the vehicle and delivers it to the lift that transports the vehicle back to the transfer cabin.

No matter which transfer cabin was used to drop off the vehicle, the system delivers the vehicle to the transfer cabin indicated by the user. The system is operated by a proprietary software with sophisticated capabilities. For instance, the Under Elmene parking garage is equipped with an algorithm counter that documents the frequency of vehicle use. Based on this evaluation, the most-used vehicles are placed near the lifts to keep retrieval waiting times for the user to a minimum.

Outside, the aboveground transfer areas of the automated parking garage is perfectly integrated into the Amagerbro district where it is located. An architectural highlight is the garage’s lighting concept, which beautifully stages the surroundings of the park at night.

Photo courtesy of Westfalia Logistics Solutions Europe

The Under Elemene parking garage in Copenhagen has three aboveground transfer cabins and five levels of parking underground, offering 268 parking spaces for public use in about 10,000 square feet of space.

The User Experience

Photo courtesy of Westfalia Technologies, Inc.

Because the entire parking garage does not need to be made attractive to users, there is more in the budget to make the transfer area extra luxurious. In this system, people and their cars are safer.

User Safety

Conventional parking lots hold many dangers for users. According to the National Safety Council (NFC), parking lot accidents are not minor events and are often more serious than people realize.2 More than 50,000 parking lot accidents occur each year, which results in more than 60,000 injuries and as many as 500 deaths. Fifty-one parking lot and parking garage deaths each year occur when drivers are backing up.

Also, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than one in 10 property crimes occurred in parking lots or garages. This could include fender benders, door dings, vandalism, theft of vehicle, and theft of vehicle contents. In an automated system, criminals and careless drivers do not have access to the garage.

Parking lots and conventional parking garages are large and difficult to monitor. With an automated system, the only space used and occupied by people is the transfer area and small common areas, which are smaller and easier to secure and monitor.

Considerations for Designers, Developers, and Owners

For designers, developers, and owners, automated parking systems require more thought, planning, and expertise than an asphalt parking lot or even a conventional multilevel parking structure. Here are some benefits:

Reduced Construction and Finishing Costs

Since automated parking facilities require less building space, developers can save on construction costs through reduced excavation, construction time, and land costs, which adds up to major savings that can go back into the project’s budget.

According to a study by Walker Parking Consultants in 2012, developers can save up to 25 percent in overall costs with an underground, automated garage directly below the building in comparison with a traditional underground garage.⁴

By comparison, the construction costs for a stand-alone, aboveground, automated garage could be up to 40 percent higher per space than a conventional garage. However, aboveground automated garages have actually been built, which goes to show that even they have advantages over traditional garages in certain situations, such as luxury experience, minimal environmental impact, and increased parking capacity.⁴