Greenway Self-Park | HOK

Architecture, Community Center

Greenway Self-Park

The energy efficient Greenway Self-Park offers an oasis of sustainability within the commercial building-clad forest of Clark and Kinzie street, Chicago. HOK infused green strategies into the 33,500 square meters of the public vehicular garage in order to reduce carbon footprints and energy consumption while instigating the first green parking system in Chicago. The 11-storied Self-Park provides 24/7 parking facility for 900 vehicles and runs on a stand-alone energy harvesting system.

“Clients across a wide range of sectors have been asking us for architectural solutions that push the sustainable envelope. For this assignment, Friedman Properties gave us the opportunity to collaboratively envision what a ‘green’ parking garage could be. Our design is sustainably astute and sets a new standard for this building type”, stated by Todd Halamka, Director of Design for HOK’s Chicago office.

In opposition to the traditional enclosed parking with an umpteen expenditure of artificial energy, HOK designed a naturally ventilated façade system, treated with highly efficient breathable glass channels to eliminate the need for mechanical ventilation. The southeast corner of the building houses an array of 12-paired vertical turbines which rise slightly higher than the top and harvest electrical energy by twizzling down the wind. The plastic turbine is divided into two columns of six units stacked onto each other. Being designed and installed externally by Helix Wind, it takes the full advantage of the windy city.

The resultant energy illuminates the walls of the structure at night and a notably extra amount of electricity adds up to the national grid. The bundle of sustainability measures also includes a cistern rainwater collection system and a green roofing.

“Parking garage designs in Chicago have had a long tradition of disguising themselves as office buildings with false façades”, added Halamka. “Our design attempts to break from that model and deliver an entirely new aesthetic”.

The ground floor of the structure is reserved for retail spaces. Parking garages start from the first floor containing fully automated billing and valet system. The architects undertook a strategy of encouraging green technology by designing reserved, free of charge spaces for hybrid electrical vehicles. Plug points and recharge stations are also provided to the earth-friendly automobiles. Colorful banners and wayfinding systems intricately adorn the interiors to make people aware of the impact of their behavior pattern. An innovative approach of reminding drivers about their parking lots through music videos is a special feature to appreciate.

The Construction of the building was kept as green as possible. Precast and pre-molded concrete elements were put together like Legos in order to minimize waste. All construction materials are collected within the 100-mile radius of the construction site. The prime focus of the project was to offer more effective alternatives to Chicago people, which are successfully carried through. As recognition of uniqueness, Greenway Self-Park earned an Award of Excellence in The International Parking Institute Awards 2011 for the best design in a parking facility. Currently, the building is pursuing LEED certification.

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