Parking has always been a major problem for building owners and managers, yet these problems haven’t always involved the cost, but instead the availability of space. The highest and best use of land has left some property managers without parking.

The solution may be the utilization of airspace with mechanical parking lift structures. There are more than 17,000 car elevators installed worldwide. This type of parking structure is made of hot-dipped galvanized steel to prevent rusting and ensure longevity.

The car transportation elevator has only two sets of moving parts – the hydraulic cylinders and the guide wheels. Hydraulic cylinders are engaged only during the raising and lowering of cars. In the elevated position, mechanical locks engage and relieve pressure from the cylinders and power packs.

In commercial installations, the hydraulic components are used two to three times per business day, less than 14 hours per year, resulting in little wear and low maintenance. Compared with above-ground systems, where one car is moved to retrieve another, this ability to select a car independently offers advantages of convenience, security, and self-parking. Self-parking elevator itself has many advantages, including major savings on labor and insurance.

Another system is called the automated parking solution. An automated garage exists that rectifies the mistakes of the Bowser, Pigeon Hole, and Roto Park systems of 30 years ago. It consists of aisle stackers delivering pallets longitudinally and vertically at considerable speeds and unfailing accuracy, with technology and performance proven by continual use during the past 35 years. The former major obstacle to success – dependence upon one elevator – is eliminated by the interchangeability of elevators, aisle stackers, on-site through track switching. And the old five-minute rule can be met by adjusting the height and length of the aisles plus the number of cars parked per aisle. Adding supplemental ST-3s along longitudinal sides makes ingress and egress faster.