DENSIFICATION

Intelligent parking solutions for the city of the future

Cities of the future require innovative concepts and clever repurposing of existing spaces to make urban areas more efficient. Our parking systems have been developed with these specific challenges in mind and offer flexible, space-saving, sustainable solutions for modern urban development.

Through intelligent densification (also known as infill development), we create new parking spaces precisely where conventional solutions have reached their limits. This reduces the amount of traffic searching for a parking space, lowers emissions, and improves safety for pedestrians. This noticeably improves the quality of life, especially in densely built-up neighborhoods.

With the growth in private transport and increasing vehicle sizes, parking space in cities is getting harder to find. Our solutions make intelligent and efficient use of the available space, relieve the strain on infrastructure, and ensure future-proof and sustainable mobility.

Anyone who lives or works in a neighborhood that has grown organically over time knows the challenge of trying to find a parking space every day. Valuable time is lost, and vehicles often have to be parked far away from their destination. Our innovative parking solutions offer a smart, efficient, and sustainable alternative that makes cities more livable and more viable in the long term.

Conventional parking or fully automatic parking systems: Which solution is right for the city of the future?

What are the alternatives for improving the parking situation in densely built-up neighborhoods in the long term? In urban areas where space is at a premium, municipalities, property owners, and planners only have two realistic options:

Conventional parking – with standard parking lots, parking garages, or underground parking facilities, which take up a lot of space and are often used inefficiently.

Fully automatic parking systems – which offer space-saving, efficient, and sustainable parking without wasting valuable urban space.

But which solution is the better choice for designing a city that is sustainable and livable? The following comparison shows the advantages and limitations of both approaches.

Central underground car park vs. local automatic parking systems

Central neighborhood parking garages or similar solutions can certainly create lots of new parking spaces in one go. However, there are often considerable challenges associated with building them:

  • A suitable site must be found, ownership issues clarified, and any potential contamination analyzed.
  • Existing water pipes, power cables, and communication lines must be relocated, and existing structures may even need to be demolished.
  • The construction phase often lasts for years and causes noise, traffic disruptions, and inconvenience for residents.
  • Their usefulness is limited: Only people in the immediate vicinity benefit, while others have to walk long distances to get to their cars.

From a planning, economic, and user-oriented perspective, this solution is therefore often inefficient and difficult to implement.

How can automatic systems solve the inner-city parking problem?

Central automatic parking system

Compared to conventional underground car parks, automatic parking systems not only offer much more efficient use of space, but also a number of additional advantages.

Maximum user convenience:

  • A permanent parking spot: No more hassle searching for a free parking space.
  • Quick vehicle retrieval: The car is ready within minutes.
  • No maneuvering necessary: Simply park the car in the transfer cabin and let the system do the rest.

Real-life example: Donnersberger Strasse in Munich, Germany

One example of a successful project based on this concept is the neighborhood parking garage on Donnersberger Strasse in Munich. This involved creating 284 parking spaces underground, which residents can access via four transfer cabins.

Central automatic parking systems offer a modern, space-saving, and convenient alternative to conventional underground car parks—for efficient and sustainable urban mobility.

Examples:

Local automatic parking systems

Local parking solutions are on a smaller scale but much more flexible—and can usually be implemented more quickly since fewer stakeholders are involved.

Fast implementation
The time between the decision and the start of construction is often shorter than for large construction projects.

Efficient integration
WÖHR solutions integrate seamlessly into residential and office buildings, commercial properties, or administrative buildings.

Option to upgrade existing parking facilities
Parking garages and underground car parks can be extended without the need for additional space or additional floors.

Local fully automatic parking systems offer a modern, space-saving, and sustainable alternative to conventional underground car parks—for efficiently designed and livable cities.

Successful projects

Montalbán 11: where history meets modern sustainability

In the heart of Madrid, Spain, the historic building at Montalbán 11 has been beautifully restored. The restoration marries exclusive interior design with sustainable innovations such as geothermal energy, rainwater harvesting, and landscaped inner courtyards. Art installations by Carlos Cruz-Diez lend the building a unique aesthetic. With luxurious amenities such as a spa, fitness studio, and automatic parking system, Montalbán 11 sets new standards for urban living.

To the Project

Kneuterdijk, The Hague, Netherlands

Where historic charm meets modern functionality

In the heart of The Hague, a former bank on Kneuterdijk has been converted into an impressive ensemble of office units, a luxury maisonette apartment, and an upmarket dining venue. GVB Architecten rose to the challenge of preserving the building’s historical features and combining them with modern elements such as a glazed atrium. A particular highlight of the restoration is the innovative, fully automatic Parksafe 583 by WÖHR, which accommodates up to 52 vehicles in just 135 square meters—a forward-looking solution for urban areas.

To the Project

Gran Via, Madrid

Gran Vía 48: luxury living with an ingenious parking system

Located right in the vibrant center of Madrid, Gran Vía 48 sets new standards for urban living. The impressive new building by Rafael de La-Hoz Arquitectos combines sleek modernity with the ultimate in residential comfort—while helping to solve the parking problem in this city of millions. Thanks to a fully automatic parking system by WÖHR, up to 320 vehicles can be accommodated on a footprint of just 912 square meters. This not only creates more space for residents but also represents an innovative approach to sustainable urban development.

To the Project

Matching products from WÖHR

WÖHR Parklift

With our parking lifts, we double or triple the number of parking spaces in the available space. This is why they are often called duplex garages or double parkers. The parking lift rows with pit are for independent parking, the cars can be requested independently of each other at any time. Parking lifts without a pit are for dependent parking and are ideal for single-family homes or parking garages with valet parking.

More about Parklifte

WÖHR Combilift

Our Combilift systems are modular parking systems that can store vehicles on up to three levels and in up to four rows in a row. The new COMBILIFT generation is even more space-saving, even more flexible and even more powerful.

More about Combilifte

WÖHR Parksafe

When “parking ideas” grow into the sky, one of these automatically controlled parking systems is most likely involved. Based on the principle of a rack, the vehicles are parked in compartments on the right and left. This creates a tower, a shaft or a tower/shaft combination - depending on the individual project requirements. WÖHR's Parksafe models feature a central lift that transports the cars fully automatically to a free shelf compartment, where they are stored safely against theft and vandalism.

More about Parksafes