How many of you loved playing treasure hunts when you were a kid? I know we did. But do you still love it? Whether you love it or not, most of us are still playing it every day. Confused!!! We are talking about finding the treasure of a parking spot. The misery we have to go through every single day, especially when you are already running late to your office or dropping off your kid at school or even when you are headed out with your family to spend some quality time.
At the time urbanization started, heavy vehicles and cars were a rare sight. Only rich people could afford it. Times have changed now. And we agree, it has changed for the better. Now, having a vehicle has become a necessity and finding appropriate parking is a headache.
As rightly said, ‘necessity is the mother of all inventions.’ Automated Parking Systems have come to the rescue. These innovative structures are transforming the way we think about parking. With maximizing the parking space, consuming less time and reducing carbon footprint, these parking systems are the need of the hour.
One such parking system is the ‘Tower Parking System’. Let us embark on the journey to explore the wonders of tower parking systems and their potential to reshape urban landscapes.
What is Tower Parking System?
As the name suggests, tower parking systems are multilevel parking systems where cars are parked one over another like a multi-storeyed building. These vertical structures can be customized as per the need of the customer and the space available. The configuration of the parking system can be anywhere from 0:1, 1:1, 1:2,2:2 or 3:3.
These automated parking systems are Machine Room Less (MRL) which further helps in saving space. There is no requirement for space-intensive driveways or ramps and the parking/retrieval of the vehicle is super easy with an uptime of 99%.
The vehicles are first parked on the ground floor on a platform that is designated for incoming vehicles. From here the automated machinery takes over. Vehicles are moved vertically to the available space or designated spots with the help of hydraulic lifts. To retrieve the vehicle, one has to approach the kiosk/terminal for retrieval, where the credentials are verified and the vehicles are brought to the ground level, in the same way as they were moved up.
Types of Tower Parking Systems:
Tower parking systems can be customized as per the layout, space and height available. Since, the vehicles are parked/stacked vertically rather than the traditional way of horizontal parking, the number of parking spaces is increased multi-folds. Generally, they are of three types, viz.
a) An Open Tower i.e. a stand-alone tower structure.
b) A closed tower that comprises a steel tower within the RCC shaft, and
c) RCC tower which is bracket load on RCC Shaft.
Tower parking systems contribute to sustainable development by optimizing land use and reducing the need for sprawling parking lots. These parking systems can also be seen as the gateway of future innovations as when the technology evolves, they can integrate state-of-art features, such as electric vehicle charging stations and automatic vehicle handling.
