Carbon Footprint of a Parking Facility

A carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by a product, building, organization or activity, usually expressed in tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

For a parking structure, embodied carbon in concrete and steel usually outweighs the energy used to run it over its life. Shares vary by design and grid; the split shown is illustrative, not measured.

For a parking structure, the footprint has two parts. Embodied carbon comes from making and building with materials, mainly concrete and steel, and is locked in on opening day. Operational carbon comes from running the facility: lighting, ventilation, elevators and equipment. Because garages use relatively little energy, embodied carbon is often the larger share over the structure’s life.

Reducing embodied carbon

Build only the parking that is needed. See parking demand analysis.
Use lower-carbon concrete and cement. See cement.
Efficient structural layouts that use less material.
Reuse existing structures instead of building new. See adaptive reuse.

Reducing operational carbon

LED lighting with adaptive controls.
Demand-controlled ventilation in enclosed garages.
On-site solar. See solar canopy.
Mobility programs that reduce driving, which Parksmart credits.

The Parkonomics view

The lowest-carbon parking space is the one that never had to be built. After that, the next biggest lever is the concrete mix.