Best Car Park Refurbishment 

Sponsored by: The Safer Parking Scheme (Park Mark)

When car parks are refurbished they are expected to be clean, bright, well signed, safe and structurally sound. The aim of the award is to showcase how a car park can be transformed into a truly inspiring building. The Best Car Park Refurbishment award will recognise property owners and parking operators who have worked with teams of architects, engineers, contractors and other stakeholders to renovate an existing car park to the highest possible standard. 

The criteria:

Projects submitted should aim to:

• deliver an excellent driver and parking experience

• create an attractive, safe and aesthetically pleasing enviroment

• accommodate the emergence of new forms of vehicle usage, vehicle types and alternative modes of travel

• include energy management systems and green thinking

• enhance the locale and designation they serve both in terms of amenity and visually

• cater for alternative uses and activities

• make provision for the building’s life ‘post-parking’

If you would like to nominate an innovative technique used in the renovation of a car park, that may be better submitted via the Innovative Parking Technology category.

Entries must be made with the participation and/or approval of the car park owner or operator.

Projects submitted should ideally either hold or be working toward achieving a Park Mark under the Safer Parking Scheme.

To qualify the project must have been completed after 1 July 2017 and be operational at the time of entry to the awards.

The judges will be looking for car parks whose design and construction:

• Meet the specific needs of the destination served

• Makes use of high quality materials and finish

• Shows innovative solutions to engineering challenges

• Show a high degree of co-operation between the developer, designers and planning authority

• Features a sensitive, sympathetic and aesthetic treatment of the exterior

• Provides high quality, well-lit interiors

• Have well planned vehicle circulation paths

• Features excellent signing of vehicle and pedestrian paths

• Acts as gateway to destinations

• Makes arrangements for infrastructure maintenance (such as Life Care Plans).

The entry pack should include details of:

• A clear statement of why the refurbishment was needed

• The problems identified and the techniques employed to solve them

• Clear identification of 'Before' vs 'After' gains

• What was excluded from the scope of the refurbishment

• Structural and operational problems affecting the car park

• The process of defining and planning the repairs

• Number of spaces, levels, etc

• Construction processes (type of structural frame, building materials used, etc)

• Nature of vehicle circulation paths

• Budget (overall and per space)

• How the project was funded

• Payment systems and enforcement regime (if appropriate)

• Facilities for all categories of user - disabled people, motorcyclists and pedestrians

• Facilities and working conditions for staff

• Security arrangements (staffing, lighting, CCTV, help-points, etc)

• Environmental considerations during construction and when operational

• Signage arrangements, both internally and externally, for guiding drivers and pedestrians

• Provision made for electric vehicles, cycles, service vehicles, etc

• Safer Parking status

• Awards the car park has won.

Please supply:

1. Images of car park exterior and interior ('Before' and 'After' shots)

2. Full plans and circulation details

3. Details/diagram of traffic flow and site access/egress

4. Details/images of site signage

5. Full postal address so that shortlisted car parks can be easily located by the judges

6. Evidence of Park Mark, ESPA and other awards

7. Customer and client feedback.