Windy City wind

Chicago, known as "the windy city," has found a new way to employ one of its most abundant resources in the form of the first wind-powered parking garage. Parking lots are usually associated with negative impacts on cities, taking up space and creating the "heat island effect," a temperature increase found in urban areas as a result of an abundance of paved surfaces. However, the newly designed Greenway self park in Chicago will offer much more than just a place to park your car.

The parking lot will be powered 100 percent by vertical wind turbines and provide a list of other services, including:

* local and sustainable building materials
* a green roof and rainwater cisterns for irrigation
* high-efficiency glass
* recycling programs
* energy-efficient lighting
* programs to encourage the use of energy efficient vehicles
* electric car charging stations
* air quality initiatives
* tips for Greener Living in the lobbies
* Zipcar and I-Go car sharing vehicles

The architects of HOK believe the design will change current perceptions held by parking lot users while educating the public on ways to conserve energy.