SCP11 PARKING
people are likely to drive straight back out again,” says Jolmer. And for Sandy, it’s personal. “I spend a lot of time and money
in shopping centres and I know what I’m looking for in a car park,” she says. “I want the environment to be as friendly as possible – customer care is key.” Accordingly, Green Parking refers to its parking attendants as
‘guardians’ because “they really care about the people who turn up”. “Once parked, people want information so we erect plans on
“People are aware of the need to go down the green road but they don’t know how to get there”
the walls and our parking guardians will hand out leaflets with key landmarks of the area, helpful phone numbers and even buggy and umbrella hire. It’s about the experience,” says Creeber. “Car parks can sometimes be cold and frightening so it might
be that there’s a woman only floor,” he adds. “That way if whoever’s monitoring the CCTV sees a man on that floor they can go and investigate why they’re there.” For Vinci Park, there’s a focus on creating ambiance. And one
way to do that is to tickle the senses. “We have a desire to make our car parks a pleasant place to be,” says Herring. “We want our customers to think what they see is nice visually. And in terms of audio, where the environment allows we can play background music.”
This has been trialled with classical music at an underground car
park in Mayfair. “We also use air fresheners to ensure the car parks don’t smell,”
he says. “The concept is to create ambiance and make it a place where people want to be rather than somewhere they have to go because it’s in the right location for their needs. “There’s been a move in recent years towards taking officers out
of car parks and replacing them with technology but it’s important for us to maintain the human interface. We want our parking officers to be visible and welcoming and for the environment to be open and bright. Parking attendants are also useful in checking that the car park is clean. “We do embrace technology but it’s easy to lose sight of the fundamentals.” Herrings points out that it’s easy to revitalise a bland space and
inject colour, something also important to reflect the level or floor so people can find their cars easily. Colour co-ordinating columns, doors and landings is a good way
to do this and it adds ambience “rather than having a sterile white environment”. Going back to the issue of sustainability, Simmons warns: “With
the government’s target to reduce 80 per cent of C02 produced by commercial buildings by 2050, people have to sit up a listen, and not just because it’s fashionable.” Jolmers agrees: “It won’t change overnight but people are heading in a greener direction.”
Find out more: For more information, please contact the author:
mia.hunt@
jldmedia.com
www.shopping-centre.co.uk June 2011 SHOPPING CENTRE
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