Environmentally friendly builds is no longer restrained to residential and commercial projects, now we can see parking garages too walking the green path. HOK has recently completed the design of the Windy City’s first eco-friendly parking garage that incorporates multiple ‘green’ elements. Dubbed the “Greenway Self-Park,” the 11 stories high energy-efficient garage seeks LEED Certification from the US Green Building Council.
The 24-hour public parking garage flaunts green features like wind turbines, rainwater collection systems, green roofs, a naturally ventilated exterior wall and electric car plug-in stations. The 12-paired array of vertical turbines coming from Helix Wind harvest the wind to power the exterior wall lighting of the facility, while the surplus energy is sent to the city grid.
The green roof not only adds to the aesthetics, but also filters pollutants, reduces stormwater runoff, heating and cooling. The unique glazed screen is comprised of a visually layered fabric of breathable glass channels that progressively reveals the inner concrete super-structure of the building. The screen with a naturally ventilated external wall eliminates the requirement of a mechanical system.
