As ride-sharing services grow and personal ownership of automobiles declines, office building owners and developers are re-thinking the value of parking structures, and their capacity and ability to convert. As part of the total transformation of One Post Office Square (OPOS), located in the heart of Boston's financial district and designed by Gensler, a new automated parking garage will optimize the use of valuable leasable space, enhance the user experience and create long term flexibility.
Designed to efficiently store more vehicles within a smaller volume of space, the automated parking system at OPOS will enable the building owner to recapture 70,000 SF of leasable area. Capacity for 230 vehicles is organized on six parking levels- three above grade and three below grade. Ultimately, the area consumed to accommodate the "day one" parking requirement occupies less than half the volume of a conventional garage. In addition, the above-grade levels can be converted to different future use, adding back up to 25,000 SF of leasable office space.
The electro-mechanical system, designed by U-tron, is based on the concept of a sliding-tile puzzle, with technology that has a long history in pharma, warehouse, and jet engine storage and delivery. Vehicles on pallets are moved around on vertical lifts and conveyors in accordance with an algorithm that maximizes efficient storage and optimizes retrieval time, processing 85-90 vehicles per hour. Users enter the garage at grade and then interact with a digital display or software app to initiate the storage process. Space is included for cars to cue and wait for the next available lift if all cabins are occupied.
Vehicle retrieval time is estimated at two-and-a-half minutes on average. The system is projected to shorten the average exit experience of the existing garage by over two minutes. An app will streamline user experience, allowing cars to be called in advance of the driver being in the garage lobby.
Read more about this system in U-tron's website.
