BREEAM Maximum car parking capacity

[edit] Aim and benefits

This issue was established in order to encourage the use of alternative modes of transport (other than private cars) to and from one building, thereby helping to reduce transport-related emissions and traffic congestion associated with the building’s operation.

The aims of this issue are:

Reducing soil sealing
Reducing carbon emissions
Reduction traffic congestion
Providing an efficient number of parking spaces

It is related to the non-residential and residential institutions only.

[edit] When to consider

Prefer to Locate a building in high density area, with a high quality transit.

In a rural area with no public transportation services, this issue is hard to achieve.

[edit] Step by step guidance

Define with the client/designer the predicted number of building users. For hotels and similar types of building with large amount of guests/visitors define the numbers for staff and visitors.
Calculate the total number of relevant parking spaces (for calculation guidance see part "Tips and Best practice" below).
For BREEAM Intl. NC 2016 calculate the Accessibility Index (AI, see issue Tra 01) to get the required ratio for credits achievement as listed in the Table 36 "Credits available in Tra 04 Maximum car parking capacity for different building types"

(For BREEAM UK NC 2014 the Table 36 is different, please see the issue in UK 2014 manual)

Table 36 - Credits available for different building types, based on AI and the people/parking ratio Building type

4. Calculate the people/parking ratio: divide number of building users with total number of parking places.

When result is a fraction of a whole number round it down to the next whole number.

Example:

Office building with Accessibility index 6, total number of building users 1 000, total number of relevant parking places 185:

1 000 / 185 = 5.405 ......... rounded to 5......... 2 credits achieved

The same building with the same number of users and parking places, but in locality with Accessibility index 8 or more, only 1 credit is achieved.

Definitions (BREEAM Intl. NC 2016) :

Other buildings-Rural: Building types specifically required to be located rurally as a result of their function, i.e. a building which would never be located within an urban area, e.g. a national park visitor centre (see definition of rural and rural location sensitive buildings location)
Rural location (Urban location): A site clearly not within or on the boundary of a small, medium or large urban cover. An urban cover will have a population of 3000 people or more, located within a tract of continuously built-up urban land extending 20 hectares or more. Therefore, the definition of rural includes village locations, green field sites or small urban centres with a population of less 3000 people within a tract of land no greater than 20 hectares. Such locations will most likely be on a local bus route to larger urban areas or other local towns and may have local shops and other facilities.

[edit] Questions to ask while seeking compliance

Is parking space needed for this project?

Can we reduce the number of parking space given in the client requirement program?

Does the local regulation imposes a requirement related to minimum parking spaces to provide?

For BREEAM Intl. NC 2016 or BREEAM UK NC 2014 - what is the Accessibility Index of this development? (defining the ratio required for credits achievement)

[edit] Tools and resources

BREEAM Knowledge base

[edit] Tips and best practice

Are excluded to the calculation of the total number parking spaces, parking spaces dedicated to :

Disabled person
Family (common in commercial area)
Motorbike
Car sharing (only for the fully fitted building as the future occupier must confirm the Car-sharing policy implementation)
Drop-off parking places (K+R)
Deliveries parking places
Temporary parking spaces

Included in the calculation are:

both internal and external parking places
parking place with electric cars recharging stations
LPG dedicated parking places

NOTE: For buildings with a relatively small number of staff and large visitor numbers (hotels etc.) the guest/visitor car parking spaces do not need to be assessed where these are separate from the staff parking spaces. If combined and not clearly segregated, then all spaces must be accounted.(KBCN 0242)

NOTE: For campus or similar development where parking is not designated to individual buildings, the compliance is proved EITHER
- on the basis of parking capacity for the whole development, accounting for all existing and new users and parking spaces OR
- using a pro-rata of parking capacity to building users, e.g. if the assessed building is occupied by 20% of the development's total occupants, then attribute 20% of the total parking spaces to the assessed building for the purpose of the assessment

If the client doesn't know at the early stages the number of building users then we can consider the maximum building users capacity that can be provided in the fire risk assessment.

[edit] Typical evidence

Drawings indicating the number of parking places dedicated to the project.
Client and Assessor attestation : number of building users or conclusion of the fire risk assessment (maximum building users capacity)
Photography of the parking (included in the assessor building assessor report)

[edit] Applicable Schemes

The guidelines collated in this ISD aim to support sustainable best practice in the topic described. This issue may apply in multiple BREEAM schemes covering different stages in the life of a building, different building types and different year versions. Some content may be generic but scheme nuances should also be taken into account. Refer to the comments below and related articles to this one to understand these nuances. See this document for further guidelines.