While a necessary part of any city or venue planning project, parking structures aren’t always celebrated or welcomed by the surrounding community. Incorporating a tension facade into the design of a parking garage can help alleviate the community’s concerns, increase the aesthetics of the building, and provide a wealth of other benefits.
Improved Aesthetics
Parking garages are incredibly functional, but they aren’t generally known for their aesthetic appeal. A tension facade acts as a second skin to the structure, wrapping it in a fabric or membrane. This creates a wall-like exterior to the building that can be designed with solid colors, graphic designs, or textured 3D art. The improved aesthetics will help your location stand out to customers while satisfying surrounding property owners.
Reduced Light Pollution
Everyone agrees that parking structures must be well-lit at night, but it can create unsightly light pollution to the surrounding area. Especially on properties where the evening light has been carefully designed, a parking garage can become an unintended focal point. A tension facade can alleviate this concern by minimizing the impact of the interior light, while creating an opportunity for stunning LED lighting design of its own.
Added Protection for Customers
Whether you own a short-term or long-term parking structure, your customers want to know their vehicles are safe. An added benefit of a tension facade is that it protects the parked vehicles from sun, rain, and snow regardless of whether they are parked along the perimeter or on the interior of the structure.
Maintained Open-Air Classification
Unlike enclosed buildings, the open-air classification of parking structures means that it doesn’t require expensive ventilation systems or environmental controls. Therefore, it’s important to be able to maintain that classification when considering ways to protect customers’ vehicles and better blend into the surrounding area.
Reduced Energy Usage
Since a tension facade allows natural light to pass through, it can help support a property’s energy efficiency initiatives by reducing the amount of artificial light needed during the daytime.
Is a Tension Facade Right for Your Parking Garage?
A tension facade is a type of tension structure that uses expanding technology to enable architects and designers the flexibility to offer alternate, affordable, and low-maintenance design solutions for a wide range of buildings. They can span great distances with less structural support, which makes them perfect for parking garages.
In the Tension Structures Division of Eide Industries, we specialize in design, engineering, manufacturing, and installation of structurally complex and creatively challenging commercial, government, and prototype design projects. Our expertise with tensile facade systems and tension structures supports architects, designers, general contractors, and building owners in their efforts to bring custom tensile membrane projects to life.
Explore the options for your next project. Contact one of our experts today by calling 800-422-6827.