Optimizing for Change

That play on words initially sounds inconsistent but it’s absolutely true. We can’t change change: it will happen with or without us. It’s common to describe change as a wave. We see it as small and far way. Nevertheless, it continues coming closer and growing in size until it towers over us. It finally breaks and sweeps away everything old or inconsistent.

Optimizing to take advantage of change is preferable to being at the mercy of its unpredictable outcome. Optimization for change is the future of car parking.

Who would have thought 5 years ago that parking fees could average more than 1,000 USD per month or a parking space could sell for more than 500,000 USD?

Commercial and residential buildings have been required to change in substantial ways over the past few decades. Among these are improved energy efficient, more accessibility for the disabled, lower life-cycle impact on the environment and better indoor air quality.

More often than not, car parking garages have avoided similar levels of change. The wave of change for car parking is coming closer and growing larger. It also has some names on it such as sustainability, urbanization and motorization, climate change, investment policy… and many others. The names vary by location but that doesn’t prevent change from moving closer.

What changes are ahead for car parking structures?

Maybe it’s capturing and treating all vehicle emissions: solid, liquid and gaseous. They could include limiting noise and light pollution and storm water runoff. Perhaps everyone entering will need to pass through a security checkpoint. Energy efficiency and the more nebulous sustainability are certainly on the agenda for change. It may be that politics, economics or other reasons limit parking to underground facilities only. The only certainty is that the laws, policies and opportunities for parking facilities will change.

Optimizing for change isn’t always easy. For example, how do you fundamentally alter the nature and characteristics of conventional parking garages? It’s difficult at best. After decades of trying to make conventional parking garages more space efficient, they remain relatively space-inefficient and costly to utilize in dense urban environments. Automated parking systems have many differences from and advantages over conventional parking garages…differences and advantages that can help you optimize for change and for more profit.

It takes courage to tackle change proactively, but those who do so earliest in the project development stage will profit the most. Also at Skyline Parking change is constant. In this regard I would like to inform you our valued colleague, Frido Stutz (picture), will be leaving us to pursue his first love… flying. Frido played a key role in guiding Skyline from his original vision as founder to a company with the clear goals and bright future of today. I want to thank Frido for his creative and goaloriented attitude, positive outlook and inspiring personality. While Frido may not be with us on a daily basis, we won’t be deprived of his advice, assistance and new ideas for the future. Thanks to diverse mandates Frido will keep in touch with Skyline’s management. I ask you all to join me in wishing Frido the best in all of his future endeavors.

Richard Denzler, CEO

About Skyline Parking AG

Skyline Parking AG designs and supplies the most space-efficient and fastest fully automated parking systems. Skyline’s systems provide high returns while being an environmentally and user-friendly answer to the growing scarcity and cost of urban space, worldwide. The broad range of products, means that Skyline Parking has a solution for virtually any location, problem and requirement.