(WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.) May 25, 2016 — Designed by one of the California’s largest integrated sustainable design firms, LPA Inc., the first municipal fully-automated parking garage on the West Coast recently held its grand opening in West Hollywood, California. City staff, community members and media gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the new state-of-the-art, sustainable parking solution.
In partnership with the city of West Hollywood and Unitronics, an international leader in automated parking systems, the fully-automated parking structure contains four bays for entry and exit as well as an outdoor community plaza area for community events.
After years of suffering with less than one-third the required and needed vehicle parking adjacent to the existing city hall, the new parking garage will provide 200 automobile parking spaces for use by the city staff, residences and local businesses.
Efficiently creating additional parking spaces is one of the many resulting benefits the new parking garage will bring to the city. “The West Hollywood parking structure is much more than just a parking solution. The focus was really more about urban place-making through creating additional community open space, strengthening the viability of local business, incorporation of public art and engendering local residents,” said Rick D’Amato, Principal / Design Director at LPA. “The efficiency of the AVRS system allowed the resolution of multiple community issues and accommodated a more thoughtful integration of these resolutions within the existing fabric of the downtown environment.”
Further emphasizing the progressive sustainable attitude adopted by the city of West Hollywood, and true to form of LPA’s sustainable design approach, the structure provides a clean, environmentally-friendly alternative to conventional parking systems. Since the automobiles are non-operational during the parking and retrieval process, the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions equates to removing 92 cars from the road each year or the planting of 67,000 trees.
Additionally, the shell surrounding the warehouse is designed with state-of-the-art environmentally-friendly materials such as composite wood panels made primarily from recycled plastic grocery bags. The structure also includes roof-mounted photovoltaic solar panels and uses drought-tolerant landscaping.
“I’m excited about the opening of our newest parking structure,” said Mayor Pro Tempore John Heilman. “The innovative technology allows us to provide more parking than we would get with a standard parking structure. I look forward to it being replicated elsewhere.”
LPA’s integrated design services included architecture, lighting, landscape and graphics. Working directly with local and international artists, the parking structure integrates public art directly into the architectural design of the facility.
Oscar Delgado, Director of Public Works for the City of West Hollywood, stated, “LPA was more than just the designer, they were the City’s partner for this innovative project.” The project resulted in a user-friendly and environmentally-responsible parking solution that will provide a safe, convenient and sustainable parking structure for the city and its members.
About LPA Inc.
Founded in 1965, LPA has more than 350 employees with offices in San Antonio and Irvine, Sacramento, San Diego and San Jose, California. The firm provides services in architecture, sustainability, planning, interior design, landscape architecture, engineering and graphics. With a proven commitment to integrated sustainable design, LPA designs facilities that span from K-12 schools, colleges and universities to corporate and civic establishments. More than 700 major design awards attest to LPA’s commitment to design excellence. For more information, visit http://www.lpadesignstudios.com
