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Embracing the electric car trend at NREL

At a Glance

  • $27M

    Construction Value

  • 500K+

    Square Feet

  • 1800

    Cars

Location
Golden, Colorado
Offices
Sustainable Design
USGBC Certified LEED-NC Platinum

National Renewable Energy Laboratory - Parking Structure

When the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) was planning facility enhancements at its Table Mountain Campus in Golden, Colorado, part of the project involved a new parking structure. We also helped NREL to develop their new Research Support Facility and Cafe. This project involved architectural, master planning, and landscaping services to design a net zero energy parking structure that would support nearly 900 employees. 

Designed for maximum sustainability, the new parking structure is an open, five-level, concrete frame with a tensioned, recyclable aluminum panel wrapping and a steel roof canopy for the mounting of a photovoltaic array. All sides of the garage are open to the elements, allowing natural ventilation that eliminates the need for a mechanical system.

At almost 580,000-square-feet, the aluminum panels augment the openness for control of daylight, wind, and headlight glare. The two halves of the structure are separated by a dedicated pedestrian circulation area with a monumental stair connecting all levels, encouraging pedestrian safety and activity while reducing the energy used by the elevators.

Preferred parking spaces with charging stations for electric/hybrid vehicles are made available for 2% of the total parking capacity. But, our designs provide the future potential for 20% of the parking spaces to accommodate electric vehicle charging stations.

At a Glance

  • $27M

    Construction Value

  • 500K+

    Square Feet

  • 1800

    Cars

Location
Golden, Colorado
Offices
Sustainable Design
USGBC Certified LEED-NC Platinum

Meet Our Team

Rachel Bannon-Godfrey, Vice President, SDG Impact Leader

Sustainable design is a vague and undefined term, but that doesn’t mean our approach to it can be.

Josh Gould, Senior Vice President, Buildings

I’m passionate about making a positive impact on the built environment and work with each client to capture the spirit of a place.

Rachel Bannon-Godfrey

Vice President, SDG Impact Leader

Josh Gould

Senior Vice President, Buildings

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