The largest robotic parking lot in the world has more than 2,300 spaces and has a surprise: it is not in the US
Don’t look at the United States or China, look better at the Middle East. There, in a territory increasingly fond of architectural hyperbole, the largest robotic parking lot in the world has stood for years, a mass with more than 2,300 spaces and capable of moving 245 cars every hour that serves a judicial complex. The country that hosts the structure is in this case Kuwait, which joins the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in its commitment to XXXL mega constructions. The most curious thing, however, is not the capacity or size of the parking lot, but that in Kuwait they are already embarking on another project to launch an even larger one.
If it does not matter its type, focus or the uses to which it is intended, when it comes to titanic constructions the most logical thing is to look to the Middle East.
Parking problems? If what we are talking about is the Al Jahra court complex in Kuwait, the question has a special, almost ironic nuance. And the reason is simple: its promoters wanted to provide the building with a huge parking lot with hundreds of conventional spaces and, above all, an even larger space managed robotically. The facility is so large that at the beginning of 2018 the Guinness World Records recognized it as the largest automated parking lot in the world, a merit with which it still appears on the institution’s website today.
But… Is it that big? We refer to the figures. According to Robotic Parking Systems , the company that was in charge of the design, machinery and automation of the Al Jahra parking lot, the facility has 2,314 robotic spaces that are distributed along the upper part of a large building. And they are not the only ones.
The property has another 684 spaces to park cars in the traditional way, on a concrete ramp. The more than considerable difference between both sections serves the company to underline the benefits of automated systems when it comes to taking advantage of parking space: “Robotic systems provide 3.5 times more spaces in approximately the same volume.”
Is there more data? Yes, touches on its operation that Robotic Parking Systems uses to delve into the same idea. The company details that the complex has 12 entry and exit points through which it is capable of moving 425 vehicles per hour . “It represents the capacity to deliver almost seven cars every minute!” highlights the firm, which also claims that its brand is certified. The parking lot has more than a dozen levels and incorporates more than 1,293 tons of machinery, including electronics and equipment.
Another of the firms that participated in the project, Mohamed Abdulmohsin Al-Kharafi & Sons, assures that the automated parking occupies 14 floors and slightly reduces its capacity: it points out that it adds 2,280 spaces, in addition to another 646 conventional parking spaces. In total, it is estimated that the block reserved for parking reaches a total constructed area of almost 104,900 m2.
And will there be more? It seems. Both the Emirates Financial Towers and Al Jahra car parks will be dwarfed by that of the New Kuwait Palace of Justice , designed to become one of the largest judicial buildings on the planet. And such an aspiration had to come accompanied, of course, by a modern and up-to-date car park. On its website Robotic Parking explains that it is building a facility that will have 2,433 robotic spaces, which, once completed, will take the Guinness title from Al Jahra.
“The project is located in a privileged location in Kuwait City, on a plot of 34,500 m2. The building will have an area of 356,189 m2 and will have 141 viewing rooms and offices on 25 floors. In addition, both conventional parking and the automated one will offer 2,741 places,” says the Pace architecture studio , which points out that the project is still ongoing. In November 2020, the works were 42% complete and last March Ramsey Stone Consultants announced that it had been selected for the stone work.