Designing Safer Parking Garages

Parking garages are designed to be open. Natural ventilation, visibility and efficient circulation are fundamental to how they function. But that openness, combined with unrestricted access to upper levels, can make them high-risk locations for suicide attempts, prompting more owners and developers to consider suicide prevention as part of parking facility design.

An International Parking and Mobility Institute survey found that approximately half of parking organizations have experienced a suicide or attempted suicide at their facilities. In response, designers are exploring ways the built environment can help deter these incidents while maintaining the functionality, ventilation and character of parking structures.

Higher Education and Healthcare Face Unique Considerations

Suicide prevention can be particularly important for parking in higher education and healthcare environments, where occupants may be experiencing heightened levels of stress or mental health challenges.

An American College Health Association study found that approximately 75 percent of college students reported experiencing moderate to severe psychological distress. Student well-being also emerged as a significant concern in a Beck survey conducted at an Association of College and University Housing Officers-International conference, with nearly one-third of respondents identifying it as the top issue facing student housing.

Healthcare environments present similar considerations. Research published by the National Institutes of Health found that many individuals who died by suicide from hospital parking facilities had previously been treated for a mental health condition.

These realities are prompting institutions to consider how parking garage design can contribute to a broader approach to safety and well-being.

Designing for Prevention

There is no single design solution for suicide prevention. But thoughtful interventions can make potentially dangerous areas more difficult to access, increase visibility and create valuable time during a moment of crisis. The appropriate approach depends on the facility, its users and the surrounding environment.

• Physical barriers can limit access to exposed edges and discourage jumping from upper levels. Solutions can include taller perimeter protection, mesh or metal screening, extended parapets and horizontal barrier cables. Landscaping near garage perimeters can add another layer of separation while softening the structure visually.
• Lighting and visibility can contribute to a safer environment. Consistent lighting, open stairwells and clear sightlines improve visibility throughout the garage, while technologies such as motion-activated dimming can help balance safety with energy efficiency.
• Technology and surveillance provide additional tools for monitoring activity. Closed-circuit cameras can help security teams observe and record movement, while emerging technology may offer additional ways to identify activity requiring attention.
• Messaging and support resources can complement physical interventions. Strategically placed signage can connect individuals with crisis prevention resources and reinforce a broader safety strategy.

Integrating these measures requires designers to balance safety with building codes, ventilation requirements, aesthetics, functionality and cost. No universal solution exists; each facility requires an approach shaped by its specific conditions and the people it serves.

TCU: Integrating Prevention Into Garage Design

Texas Christian University has incorporated suicide prevention measures into campus parking facility design.

The Frog Alley Parking Garage, completed in 2016, incorporated taller perimeter protection intended to deter suicide attempts while maintaining the garage’s functionality and connection to the surrounding campus.

The project shows how safety measures can respond to the surrounding architecture, allowing added protection to feel like part of the overall design rather than a security addition.

Healthcare Parking: Designing for Safety and Access

Healthcare parking facilities present their own design considerations, from suicide prevention to creating safe, intuitive connections between parking and patient care.

At Parkland Health’s Maple Avenue Parking Garage in Dallas, suicide prevention was an important consideration in the facility’s design. Metal cladding along the exterior creates a physical deterrent while maintaining the natural ventilation required for the open parking structure. The solution balances increased protection with the ventilation requirements fundamental to an open parking garage.

At JPS Health Network in Fort Worth, Beck designed and built a new eight-level parking garage as part of the health system’s broader campus redevelopment. The design team considered safety conditions throughout the garage, using screening, barrier cables and lighting as part of a layered approach to reducing risk.

These two projects exemplify how safety strategies can respond to the conditions of each healthcare environment rather than relying on a single solution.

Designing With Safety in Mind

Considering these needs early in the design process creates more opportunities to integrate safety thoughtfully into the architecture. It also gives designers greater opportunity to balance protection with ventilation, aesthetics, functionality, cost and the experience of the people who use the facility.

No building can eliminate every risk. But thoughtful design can make a dangerous action more difficult, create valuable time during a moment of crisis and contribute to a safer environment for the people these facilities serve every day.

Hoyt Hammer is a principal in The Beck Group’s Fort Worth office. An architect with more than 30 years of experience, Hoyt has been designing buildings and environments since 1993, with expertise spanning parking facilities, higher education and healthcare.