Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is changing the way we think about how buildings and communities are planned, constructed, maintained and operated. It is a rating system developed by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to evaluate the environmental performance of a building and encourage market transformation towards sustainable design.

Projects pursuing LEED certification can earn points across several areas that address sustainability issues and depending on the number of points achieved, projects will then receive one of the four LEED rating levels: Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum.

Architects and developers aspiring to a LEED certified car park can gain additional credits by carefully considering the site’s construction and layout – as everything from the design of the parking bays to the choice of linemarker can have an impact on the car park’s environmental impact!

Underground Car Park at Quadrum Business City, Lithuania.

With this in mind, we’ve shared four handy tips to help you gain extra credits for your car park project:

Tip 1

USGBC guidelines recommend offering preferred or discounted parking for users of low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles within 5% of the total vehicle parking capacity of the site.

Tip 2

Install alternative-fuel fuelling stations, such as electric vehicle charging stations for 3% of the total vehicle parking capacity of the site. This method was implemented at Hong Kong’s Tsuen Wan Adventist Hospital – a new build medical centre in the North Tsuen Wan district.

Electric vehicle charging stations at Hong Kong’s Tsuen Wan Adventist Hospital.

Tip 3

Provide preferred parking for building occupants practising a fuel-efficient vehicle-sharing programme. For this, car-pooling participants will be eligible for parking spots closest to the main building’s entrance (exclusive of handicapped spaces) or parking passes provided at a discounted price. Oil & Gas giants, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), practised this programme in their 78,000m2 car parking facility, which was built back in 2014.

Car-pooling participants will be eligible for parking spots closest to the main building’s entrance (exclusive of handicapped spaces).

Tip 4

Selecting a car park coating system that boasts environmental advantages can also allow building projects to benefit from additional LEED credits. For example, Flowcrete’s Deckshield range can assist specification professionals in qualifying for the following LEED credits:

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company installed Deckshield ES across its car park facility to ensure a crack bridging, waterproof surface.

1. Low Emitting Materials, Paints and Coatings (EQ Credit 4.2 – 1 Point)

Deckshield is a solvent free, very low VOC coating system that is endorsed by the Singapore Green Building Council’s Green Label Certification scheme.

2. Regional Materials (MR Credit 5.1 & 5.2 – up to 2 points)

Projects across the globe will be able to source materials from one of Flowcrete’s many manufacturing facilities, and those that are within a 500 mile radius of a Flowcrete plant will benefit under the Regional Materials category.

3. Construction Materials Waste Management (MR Credit 2.1 & 2.2 – up to 2 points)

Flowcrete can provide flooring applicators with materials in reusable IBC’s (Intermediate Bulk Containers) to enable the supply of goods to site in bulk and lessen the quantity of construction waste material sent to landfill.

To learn more about sustainable car park coating materials, contact your local Flowcrete office.