Headache-free parking

How many countless hours have you clocked up trying to find a parking space when taking a leisurely trip to the shopping mall?

For many in Dubai, it can become a test of patience, as finding a suitable parking spot can be near 
impossible.

As a solution to this headache, the Emirates Financial Towers in conjunction with the MAG Group has developed an automated intelligent parking system in Dubai’s latest corporate business destination — and if it proves a success, hopefully it will pave the way for several more across the emirate.

At present, the Emirates Financial Towers parking lot can accommodate 1,191 cars and occupies a net internal area of 297,150 square feet. The modular parking system is capable of multiple, simultaneous rapid pallet movements and is programmed to control a peak capacity of 360 cars per hour.

Developed in conjunction with the MAG Group, the intelligent system was submitted to the Guinness World Records authority and was recently awarded the title in the category ‘Largest Automated Parking Facility in the World.’

The automated vehicle stacker is split over nine floors, occupying a section each of the basement levels from four to one, the ground floor and the podium levels one to four. The Emirates Financial Towers is a mixed-use commercial and retail building consisting of two towers.

What’s more, only one person mans the entire parking lot. However, while it is operational, it cannot be explored from the inside. The automated parking lot is free for office owners. Guests pay Dh5 per hour for the first two hours and Dh10 per hour thereafter. In the evening there is a flat fee of Dh15 for overnight parking with Friday parking free of charge.

Enshaa PSC, the project developer and hospitality service provider, is taking lead in the use of smart technology property solutions with its implementation of the automated parking solutions.

CEO of Enshaa Raza Jafar said: “We are extremely pleased to be recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records for the parking facility. In areas such as the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), usable space is at a premium and the implementation of the automated parking system allows us and our customers to make far more efficient use of the available space.” The implementation of the automated parking technology system at the towers provides a flexible, modular, fully intelligent parking system, utilising the latest in electronics and automation. It is driven electro-mechanically and there are no pneumatics or hydraulics, which means movements are smooth, reliable and quiet. Its unique, patented design is capable of multiple, advanced automated parking system designs anywhere in the world.
 news@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE