By John Nolan, PTMP, and Blake Clamp
On October 13, IPMI’s Planning, Design, & Construction (PDC) Committee will host an interactive roundtable examining lessons learned from the deterioration of existing parking structures—not simply to understand what went wrong, but to consider how those lessons can improve the way parking facilities are designed, constructed, monitored, maintained, repaired, and adapted for the future.
The discussion will explore the factors that contribute to premature deterioration and reduced service life, including original design and detailing, construction quality, materials and construction methods, exposure to environmental conditions, deferred maintenance, and the effectiveness of ongoing inspection and repair programs. We will pay particular attention to how the parking industry has responded to these lessons through improvements in design, materials, construction practices, durability measures, and quality control.
We will also identify specific issues that parking administrators, owners, and facility managers should understand and monitor to help extend the useful life of their structures. The objective is to move beyond a reactive approach, repairing problems after significant deterioration has occurred, and toward a proactive life-cycle management philosophy built around regular inspection, preventive maintenance, timely repairs, documentation, and long-term capital planning.
Because this is intended to be a Roundtable rather than a traditional presentation, participants will be encouraged to bring their own experiences, challenges, successes, and lessons learned to the discussion. These contributions should provide valuable perspectives on differing approaches to means and methods, problem-solving, maintenance strategies, repairs, rehabilitation, and facility management. The goal is to learn from each other and from practices that have successfully extended the service life and safety of existing parking structures.
The Roundtable will also examine parking garage inspection requirements and regulatory approaches adopted by the State of New York. We will discuss what these programs require, what can be learned from their implementation, and whether New York’s approach—or elements of it—could provide a model for broader adoption by other states or ultimately for the development of a more consistent national approach to parking structure inspection, maintenance, and public safety.
Join us for an engaging and informative discussion! IPMI members can click here to register for free. Hope to see you there!
John Nolan, PTMP, is a parking consultant and the retired Managing Director of Transportation and The Campus Service Center at Harvard University. He can be reached at John.Nolan.harvard@gmail.com.
Blake Clamp is an Associate with Kimley-Horn. He can be reached at blake.clamp@kimley-horn.com.