Best New Car Park: Riverside Sunderland

British Parking Awards 2023

The new Sunderland City Council Riverside car park is a key element in the development of Riverside Sunderland and an example of how parking solutions can be sustainable.

The car park will help to enable the growth of a vibrant mixed-use community including housing, leisure and employment opportunities including approximately 10,000 new jobs and the construction of 1,000 new homes.

Designed by architectural firm Tonkin Liu, the car park acts as an important element of infrastructure created to reduce congestion and works towards the area’s ambition of being a pedestrian priority zone and is a perfect example of how development can seamlessly blend functionality and aesthetics with sustainable construction.

The car park is situated on a key gateway into the city with good road connections and vehicular access, picking up vehicles at the periphery of the new community to further reducing congestion in the city centre.

There are 657 spaces over 11 split levels including the flexibility for 49 accessible bays, 115 EV spaces, motorcycle and cycle storage and associated infrastructure, with considered design of the surrounding landscaping and public realm works to ensure the building sits well within its setting.

The car park’s wrap has perforated panels to maximise transparency and views in and out of the structure. The use of external lighting in graded colour tones has been included to bring an inviting glow to illuminate the car park at night to take advantage of the prominent position of the site from the surrounding areas.

A feature blue wave will wash over the eastern façade of the building during hours of darkness, with coloured displays occasionally being used to mark key moments and awareness days in the city calendar. Internal passive infrared sensor (PIR) lighting ensures the energy usage is kept to a minimum level.

Designed to drive down carbon emissions and mitigate pollution the car park has two living walls constructed with over 50,000 plants, some of which are native to Britain and were carefully selected for their ability to thrive in the local climate. The green walls are located on the north and south sides of the car park, the structure spans 200,000 square feet and provides a stunning new gateway to Riverside Sunderland.

The car park is operated by a digital and cashless payment system, controlled by ANPR that allows a free flow of traffic entering, and minimal pause upon exit of the car park, to further remove exhaust emissions from idling cars waiting at barriers.

The online payment system enables customers to pre-book the car park to support and enable large scale events. The car park is home to an observation room that is used by the city council and police to monitor access to events held at the Stadium of Light.

As the UK government has committed to reaching net zero carbon by 2050. A strong approach to sustainability has been a vital part of the Riverside car park and its site incorporates appropriate sustainable principles wherever possible. The council has sought to continue its net zero embodied carbon commitment by using building materials with recycled building content wherever practicable. Durable, long lifespan and low maintenance materials, whole life carbon analysis and the use of local supply chain and materials have been used wherever practicable. The EV chargers operate on a dynamic load system that operates between 7.5 and 22KW to ensure only the minimum energy is used for charging demand.

The building also accommodates roof mounted photovoltaic and battery storage system, to supplement the car park energy requirements and EV charging. The roof space and eastern façade also incorporates digital connectivity technology to ensure the city’s 5G and Wi-Fi networks are seamless for customers throughout their use of the car park and pedestrian journey across the new Riverside community.

From the outset, all opportunities have been explored for on-site ‘net biodiversity gain’ and where possible, optimise the opportunities this site offers. The car park and its surrounds provide a sustainable re use of a brownfield city centre site, habitat creation and significant biodiversity net gain through increased soft landscaping enhancements, tree planting, bioretention planting, swales and ribbons of ornamental grasses that focus on ecological improvement and water management. There is also a Sustainable Urban Drainage System to manage all on site surface water run-off. The drainage management system within the car park collects rainwater through the soft landscaping scheme on site and is connected to the wider SuDs cascading water garden system for Riverside Sunderland.

There has been a focus on creating safe pedestrian travel routes through upgrade of bridge connections, lighting and space planning to create a pleasant environment in and around the car park. Inclusion of Public WC facilities and a registered changing place room, along with clear legibility of floor numbering and colours, provides a greater amenity to a range of users, sustainable communities and social value. The car park supports the wider community to provide enabling infrastructure for the creation of a sustainable new housing and commercial community across Riverside Sunderland, providing a resource for the area and preventing heavier car use across Riverside Sunderland and the city centre.

Cllr Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, says: “Sunderland has a strong association with light, so it’s fitting that the new spaces we are creating as we transform the city centre should feature it so spectacularly in their design.

“There’s a quality to the design of our new buildings that points to the ambition we have for this city. We want our residents to see exceptional buildings, because we want to create an exceptional city. And that applies to every new space we create.”