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Christopher Alan, PresidentMore than a decade ago, seasoned Los Angeles developer Christopher Alan, owner of Dasher Lawless, traveled the world looking for an automated parking solution for one of his mixed-use projects. After months of research, Alan realized there were no companies making systems that could guarantee decades of required support and operation or capable of meeting California's strict building and seismic codes.
In the following CIOApplications interview, Alan highlights how his company designed an automated parking solution to meet the parking demands of today's world.
What are the latest trends and demands currently being addressed by architects and developers?
One of the biggest hurdles every developer faces is parking. Building in any urban environment requires parking. The bottom line is if you can't park it, you can't build it.
Traditional parking takes a lot of square footage and is costly to operate. In the same the volume of a traditional parking structure AUTOParkit can provide up to twice the number of parking stalls.
AUTOParkit is also environmentally friendly. With our system, people aren't driving around looking for an open parking space. By that virtue alone, AUTOParkit reduces emission-based pollution by almost 83 percent compared to a traditional parking structure. AUTOParkit structures also eliminate the need for ventilation, lighting, and passenger elevators, saving as much as 40 percent over traditional parking structure operational costs. And AUTOParkit is safe. The structure itself is unoccupied space; human interaction is confined to safe and secure load bays and lobbies only.
Could you talk about the features and functionalities of your core solutions?
AUTOParkit facilities can be integrated into existing structures as well as new developments; high-density residential, mixed-use, hotels, car dealerships, office buildings, etc. They can be above ground, below ground, or in combination. Modular construction provides the flexibility necessary to fit any layout.
Dasher Lawless has also developed other storage solutions, AUTOStorit and AUTODockit. These systems leverage the same technology as AUTOParkit.
AUTOStorit eliminates the space and efficiency-related issues faced by self-storage businesses. AUTOStorit solution brings the storage unit to the user allowing them to load their unit directly from their vehicle. Like AUTOParkit, AUTOStorit eliminates access to isles, lighting, and ventilation. By bringing storage units to the user, it greatly increases the density and capacity. AUTOStorit is perfect for self-storage facilities and warehousing.
For marine use, there is AUTODockit, a system specifically designed for the storage of boats. AUTODockit eliminates the aesthetic blight created by storage yards full of small and medium-sized vessels. And like AUTOParkit and AUTOStorit, the density is significantly increased, drastically reducing the amount of space needed to store boats.
In the end, our success is defined by repeat customers
How do you track the traffic during peak hours and manage the parking system
accordingly?
We develop a throughput model for each of our projects. Early in the design, we define how many cars will come in and out of the system during peak usage. With that information, we design a system with the appropriate amount of equipment and load bays to meet that peak hour demand. Typical design parameters are to park and retrieve cars in 40–180 seconds. You compare that to the 8–12 minutes that it takes a person to park and exit a traditional parking structure, and you immediately begin to see the user experience benefits.
We also utilize Siemens control components, allowing us to provide customers with a variety of ways to access the system like a Key FOB, Mobile APP, fingerprint, or a traditional ticket. Users can begin the retrieval of their car remotely, allowing their car to be retrieved and queued while they make their way to the parking system.
The other aspect of managing traffic is the control and supervisory software, which is purposely designed to be intuitive. Each system designates your own unique id number, and over time our algorithms teach you behavioral parking patterns. This allows us to recognize an employee who arrives every day at a specific time and leaves at a specific time from a customer who comes and goes randomly. In the case of an employee, the system will put the car in the back and, prior to their normal retrieval time, rotate it near the front, while a customer vehicle will stay relatively close for easy retrieval.
Can you share your methodologies or the client on-boarding process? Also, what kind of support do you provide to help them?
We follow a step by step methodology that begins by understanding the developer's site details, building dimensions, and the number of cars expected. From this, we can define the number of load bays the best way to ingress and egress vehicles, etc. We also research applicable local building codes. Because we build across the country, understanding local and uniform building codes is vital.
Once we understand the project requirements, we begin with a conceptual design agreement, which is a contract that includes the entitlement process, working with the client's architect to learn how the system will integrate into the building, and other site-specific details. At this point, we can price the system and then enter into a full design-build a contract that includes full architectural, mechanical, and structural design of the system. Doing this helps us maximize the opportunity for cost savings and the coordination necessary to integrate the system into a project.
AUTOParkit systems also offer a number of options to the developer, such as bicycle storage, personal storage containers, and fully automated EV charging stalls. The final design may incorporate any or all of these options and systems.
Once complete, we offer 24 hours, seven days a week, monitoring, and maintenance services. We also provide comprehensive reporting of the entire parking management system. Monitoring is done from our Corporate headquarters in Warren, Ohio. We monitor all system and user transactions and efficiencies as well as maintenance schedules and power data reporting.
What differentiates Dasher Lawless from other competitors in the marketplace?
There are several areas where Dasher Lawless' AUTOParkit Systems stand alone. Retrieval time, throughput, and flexibility of design are a few items that are immediate differentiators.
Additionally, Siemens is our global strategic partner providing system controls and electrical components anywhere in the world we build and operate systems. Working in conjunction with our own engineering teams, the partnership gives us unprecedented support and capacity. We also employ Siemens virtual simulation software that allows us to build digital twins of our systems to diminish on-site commissioning and startup times.
Our Warren design and manufacturing facility is staffed with electrical engineers, controls engineers, and mechanical engineers, as well as in-house fabricators and machinists. Having more than 70 percent of the design and manufacturing and assembly processes in-house provides us unmatched quality control. Equipment of AUTOParkit systems is preassembled and tested before it ships to the job site.
In the end, our success is defined by repeat customers. It is because of these customers and their endorsements that we have exponential growth.
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