Here at SEED, our mechanical team has experience in designing well and naturally ventilated carparks. To gain a more holistic perspective on, and better influence our innovative designs and solutions around multi-level carparks in Brisbane, we recently attended a discussion panel hosted by the AIA and PIA which focused on the problems and possible solutions to multi-level carparks in the Brisbane CBD.
The debate, voiced by planners and architects, argued for and against the need for more carparks. On one side of the argument, an increased number of carparks is needed to meet perceived demand. Over 80% of Brisbane’s traffic is personal motor transport and this is not going to change quickly because of Brisbane’s insufficient public and mode transport infrastructure, and the suburban design of the city as a whole requires motor transport.
However, on the other side of the argument, Brisbane does not need to increase the number of multi-level carparks, and instead, plan for a decrease in demand. This perspective is rooted in how the transport culture of Brisbane could change. For example, less car parking spaces would be needed if there was a political agenda to:
- adopt an adequate autonomous vechicle and carshare program,
- better our public transport system,
- promote more active transportation methods (walking, cycling, etc) through investing in infastructure, and
- appropriately value and respectively charge out the car park spacing for personal motor transport.
Ultimately, for the foreseeable future and until our dependence on the personal motor vechicle subsides, carparking will be a necessary evil. Consequently, any industry involved in the planning, design, and construction of multi-level car parks do not need to make these builds so “evil” by thinking creatively, being innovative, and not allowing carparks to be an afterthought. Initially, this may look like focusing on making these spaces adaptable to other uses, and designing them to be safe, aesthetically pleasing, with a focus on greenery (such as the Parkroyal Hotel/multi-level carpark on Pickering in Singapore).
Consequently, this event broadened our perspectives around how multi-level carparks can be perceived and utilised, for the life of the building. If you are currently planning or designing a multi-level carpark that needs an innovative solution to your building services challenge, get in touch with one of our team at SEED today.