Parking garages greet us when arriving at practically every modern commercial, educational and municipal building. If a building owner wants to create a positive experience upon approach, Linetec can finish your architectural aluminum products to shift the paradigm from the utilitarian stacked concrete structure to an attractive destination that provides a memorable impression.
Car Stats
The National Parking Association’s 2020 report found the U.S. parking industry is a $131 billion industry employing 581,000 workers. In 2023, the association’s research indicated parking operators projected up to 15% growth, with the highest market gains in Atlanta, Miami and New York City. Airport and events parking continue to generate the fastest revenue growth.
In 2020, U.S. cumulative vehicle mileage was at its lowest in 19 years as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation. As of July 2023, annual miles traveled was nearing 2019’s totals. Regardless of whether you drive yourself or carpool, vehicles need to park.
Flapperwall Façades
Enhancing modern parking facility designs, finished architectural aluminum products are selected for wall panel and façade systems, storefront and curtainwall framing, doors and entrances, wind screens and sun shades, skybridges and more.
Wind-driven flapperwall façade systems creatively conceal parking facility designs. When the metal flapper panels are finished in our durable anodize or colorful architectural coatings, they add visual interest to both the building and the surrounding community. Increasingly, these colorful, dynamic exterior cladding solutions are appearing in cities across the U.S.
Boston Logan International Airport’s highly visible 10-story West Garage Extension features an attractive, kinetic exterior to distinctively screen the facility. Manufactured by EXTECH/Exterior Technologies, the dynamic façade system consists of more than 48,000 aluminum flapper panels that move in response to wind currents. Each flapper panel was finished by Linetec in Class I clear anodize.
Most recently, Linetec finished EXTECH’s KINTECWALL system for a California-based global technology company’s four-level, 520,000-square-foot parking garage, creating a massive, colorful, moving mural. More than 111,000 individual metal flappers were finished in 35 different colors to compose the wind-activated flapperwall system. When air passes through the building façade system, thousands of painted “pixels” within the illustrated landscape move in response.
The blog post is here, but the images need to be updated: https://linetec.com/2016/04/06/logan-airport-garages-dynamic-facade-features-48000-metal-panels-finished-by-linetec/
Performance Driven
Choosing high-performance finishes contribute to a property’s value by offering a low-maintenance approach to ensuring the right appearance. Linetec’s 70% PVDF resin-based painted finishes meet AAMA 2605 and Class I anodize finishes meet AAMA 611, which are ideal for your architectural aluminum products on parking structures’ exteriors.
You can specify architectural coatings in nearly any imaginable hue, including sparkling micas and metallics. For precise brand colors, your finishing service provider’s custom matching and blending services can provide the correct look.
Anodize finishes have a more limited color palette, but also deliver exceptional performance and durability. Choose light tones of Class I anodize – clear, champagne and light bronze – to provide a modern, metallic feel. Dark anodize tones – black, extra dark bronze and dark bronze – can add contrast when paired with neutral shades or blend with traditional brick and masonry.
With the majority of Americans arriving by car to our workplaces, schools, shopping and entertainment destinations, parking facilities represent an opportunity to attract and welcome people.
Contact your Linetec sales associate to discuss transforming your next parking garage project from ordinary to exceptional.
