In parking facility design, vertical circulation is the movement of people between levels by stairs and elevators, as distinct from the movement of vehicles, which is handled by ramps and sloped floors.
Every parker becomes a pedestrian, so the stair and elevator cores are where a garage meets its users on foot. Their number, size and placement set walking distances, egress capacity and how safe and legible the garage feels. Vehicle movement between levels is covered under circulation systems, ramp slope and the helix configurations.
Design considerations
- Location. Place cores at the pedestrian destinations, on the side of the garage people walk toward, and where they can be seen from the drive aisles.
- Egress. The building code sets the number of exits per level and maximum travel distance. Most garage levels need at least two exit stairs.
- Elevator capacity. Size elevators to the peak pedestrian flow, which follows the garage’s peak arrivals and departures. Event and airport garages need far more capacity than commuter garages of the same size.
- Accessibility. An accessible route, usually an elevator, is needed wherever accessible parking or destinations are on another level. See accessible parking.
- Security. Glass-backed elevators and open or glazed stair towers support natural surveillance. See CPTED.
Common problems
- A single elevator serving a large garage, with long waits at peak and no service during maintenance.
- Cores hidden at the back of the structure, forcing people to walk in drive aisles.
- Stairs that feel enclosed and unsafe, so users avoid them.
The Parkonomics view
Users judge a garage by the walk, not the drive. The core is where that judgment is made: whether they can see it, how long they wait, and whether the stair feels safe at night. Put the cores where people are going, give them light and glass, and size the elevators for the peak, not the average.
Related terms: Circulation System, Wayfinding, CPTED, Accessible Parking, Ramp Slope