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Top Parking Spots: Winners of 2009 International Parking Institute’s Awards of Excellence Competition Announced

FREDERICKSBURG, Va.--The International Parking Institute (IPI) has announced the winners of the 2009 International Parking Institute’s Awards of Excellence Competition. The awards program, now in its 27th year, took place in Denver, CO, in conjunction with the International Parking Institute’s Annual Conference & Expo. Considered the preeminent achievement for the parking profession, the awards were created to honor outstanding examples of parking design and operational creativity. Owners, architects, engineers and parking professionals involved in the winning projects are acknowledged.

Five award categories recognize outstanding achievement in Design, Program/Operations, Rehabilitation and Aesthetics. Specific criteria include exterior appearance, continuity with surrounding environment, economy of construction, security, lighting, ease-of-use, graphic and art elements, landscaping, architectural treatment, efficiency, compliance with the American Disabilities Act, sustainability, operations efficiency and revenue generation.

“These winning projects clearly demonstrate the role of well-designed and constructed parking solutions and their significant impact on the success of a facility’s aesthetics, design, construction and facility management process,” said Shawn Conrad, CAE, Executive Director of the International Parking Institute. “Parking – and parking professionals – make a difference in our lives, each and every day.”

Photographs and descriptions of all Awards of Excellence (top honors), Awards of Merit and Honorable Mentions are available at www.parking.org in the newsroom section. Below is a summary of the top honor in each category:

Category 1: Best Design of a Parking Facility with Fewer than 800 Spaces

Top Honor: Award of Excellence
Publix Greenwise Hyde Park Parking Garage, Tampa, Florida
Publix Supermarkets, Inc.

A confined site in an historic district challenged the design and construction team to come up with a unique parking solution for Publix Supermarkets’ new, 39,000-square-foot Greenwise Market in South Tampa’s Hyde Park, designed to blend with the charm of the surrounding neighborhood.

Category 2: Best Design of a Parking Structure with 800 or More Spaces

Top Honor: Award of Excellence
Underhill Field and Parking Garage
University of California, Berkeley

Seeking a hybrid structure to meet increased demand both for parking and recreation space, the University of California, Berkeley’s Underhill Field and Parking Garage incorporates a 1,000-space, four-level parking facility plus roof-level recreation field, located three blocks from campus.

Category 3: Innovation in a Parking Operation or Program

Top Honor: Award of Excellence
LADOT Cost Effective Parking Enforcement Utilizing LPR Technology
Los Angeles Department of Transportation

LADOT’s successful implementation of License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology proved to be productive and cost-effective.

Category 4: Best Parking Facility Rehabilitation or Restoration

Top Honor: Award of Excellence
Detroit Metropolitan Airport Blue Deck Restoration
Wayne County Airport Authority

The 5,500-car-capacity Blue Deck Parking Structure, constructed in 1992 and 1993, needed upgrading. A three-phase restoration project included the unique use of 170,000 square feet of added latex-modified concrete to provide a very durable bonded overlay; 190,000 square feet of deck coating membrane; and supplemental reinforcing steel throughout the structure.

Category 5: Award for Architectural Achievement

Top Honor: Award of Excellence
University of California, San Diego Hopkins Parking Structure
University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California

The new, 1,400-space, seven-level Hopkins Parking Structure adjacent to the expansion of the Supercomputer Center at the University of California, San Diego, is nestled into a sloping hillside with one level completely below grade. The façade, sheathed with a rich blue metal mesh, open stairs and a concrete canopy at the top of the stair tower compliment adjacent buildings and the campus architecture.