Concept
Dedicate the entire first floor to covered vehicle parking. The three existing roll-up doors on the south frontage become vehicle entrances. A single 6 m drive aisle runs north–south through the center of the building, with perpendicular parking bays along the east and west walls. The existing stair and elevator cores remain unchanged in the central band. This option eliminates all L1 commercial revenue but solves the building's parking deficit — 12 covered car spaces for residents, office tenants, and boutique guests on floors above.
L1 parking plan
15 × 30 m · 12 spaces + corridor · north up
Layout details
- Roll-up doors
- 3 roll-up doors on north (rear) wall (~3.5 m clear each), vehicle entry from rear street/loading area
- Drive aisle
- 6 m wide, runs full N–S length (30 m), two-way traffic
- West parking row
- 8 spaces — 4 north of cores, 4 south of cores, each 2.5 × 4.5 m perpendicular to west wall
- East parking row
- 4 spaces north of cores — south-east replaced by pedestrian corridor
- Total spaces
- 12 covered car spaces (fits sedans, SUVs, small vans)
- Clearance
- Industrial L1 ceiling ~4.5 m clear — fits vans and small trucks
- Cores
- W stair, freight elevator, E stair stay in place; pedestrians access upper floors via stairs without crossing the drive aisle
How cars park behind the roll-up doors
- Roll-up 1 (west): car enters, turns right into the west bay — 4 spaces nose-in to the west wall, visible immediately behind the door
- Roll-up 2 (center): direct entry into the 6 m drive aisle — drives straight north to reach any space on either side
- Roll-up 3 (east): car enters, turns left into the east bay — 4 spaces nose-in to the east wall
Pedestrian & vehicle separation
Safety is the main design concern when mixing parking with a residential/office building above.
- West stair: pedestrians from upper floors exit at L1 into the west stair lobby, which opens directly onto the street (west side) — they never cross the parking aisle
- East stair: same principle, exits east — no conflict with the N–S drive aisle
- Freight elevator: opens into the central core band. A painted pedestrian path with bollards guides foot traffic from the elevator to the east stair exit, crossing the aisle at a single marked point
- Speed bumps: one at each roll-up door threshold, one mid-aisle — 10 km/h limit inside
- Lighting: LED strip lighting on ceiling following drive aisle + motion-activated floods in each parking bay
Ventilation & fire
- Natural ventilation through the 3 roll-up doors (south) + louvered openings on north wall
- Mechanical exhaust fan (2,000 m³/h) on north wall, CO sensor triggered
- Fire: 2 dry-riser standpipes (east + west stairs), 4 portable extinguishers on columns
- Sprinkler heads on ceiling grid (required for enclosed parking > 300 m² per CN code)
- Emergency lighting on battery backup along drive aisle
Fit-out cost & comparison
| Item | Cost (¥) |
|---|---|
| Floor coating (epoxy, line marking) | 45,000 |
| LED lighting + motion sensors | 25,000 |
| Ventilation (exhaust fan + CO sensors) | 18,000 |
| Speed bumps, bollards, signage | 12,000 |
| Fire (sprinklers, extinguishers) | 35,000 |
| Security (CCTV × 4, access control on roll-ups) | 20,000 |
| Total L1 parking fit-out | ¥155,000 |
Compare: L1 commercial fit-out in kent5 is ¥1,000,000. Parking fit-out is 85% cheaper but generates zero direct revenue — the value is in making upper-floor units more attractive.
Revenue impact vs. kent5 baseline
| Kent5 (L1 commercial) | Kent6 (L1 parking) | Delta | |
|---|---|---|---|
| L1 annual gross | ¥250,000 | ¥0 | −¥250,000 |
| L1 NOI | ¥225,000 | ¥0 (or ¥57,600 if charging ¥300/mo/space) | −¥225,000 (or −¥167,400) |
| L1 fit-out | ¥1,000,000 | ¥155,000 | ¥845,000 saved |
| Upper-floor ADR lift | — | +10–15% on L2/L5 Airbnb (covered parking is rare in Zhongshan industrial) | +¥50,000–80,000/yr est. |
| Office tenant retention | — | Parking included in L3 lease — reduces churn | qualitative |
Net trade-off: you lose ¥225k/yr L1 NOI but save ¥845k capex and gain ¥50–80k/yr in upper-floor ADR lift. If parking is charged at ¥300/space/month, the gap narrows to ~¥110k/yr lost NOI — roughly offset by capex savings within 8 years. The real question: is covered parking the competitive differentiator that fills L2/L5 faster?
Allocation — who gets the 12 spaces?
| Floor | Spaces | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| L5 boutique guests | 4 | Premium perk — "free covered parking" in Airbnb listing lifts bookings |
| L3 office tenants | 6 | Included in lease (32 desks, ~6 cars is realistic commuter ratio) |
| L4 long-stay residents | 4 | 1 space per 2 units, assigned by lease |
| L2 Airbnb / monthly | 2 | First-come or reserved for Airbnb corner units |
Open questions
- Is 12 car spaces enough? If the building is fully occupied (24 residential + 32 office), demand could exceed supply. A waitlist or monthly rental fee would manage allocation.
- EV charging: run conduit to 4–6 spaces now (future-proof), install chargers on demand. Adds ~¥8,000/space.
- Could L1 be split — e.g. 2 bays parking (10 spaces) + 1 bay commercial (café)? That preserves some street-level activity. Would require a fire-rated partition between parking and commercial.
- Motorcycle / e-bike parking: dedicate the north end behind cores for 2-wheelers (10–15 bikes in the space of 2 car bays).
- Roll-up door automation: remote-control openers with tenant fobs? Budget ~¥5,000/door.