Flexibility is Prioritized in Reagan National Airport’s new Relocatable Parking Structure
Parking structures have traditionally been thought of as long-term commitments to heavy, inflexible buildings. This is due to prioritizing function over form. To park cars efficiently, long-span construction consisting of heavy beams and girders provide 60 feet or so of clear space to fit a drive lane and parking on both sides. These garages are relatively simple structures, mostly comprised of reinforced concrete and large foundations. For most owners with relatively stable or known demands, this tried-and-true type of parking facility works perfectly fine. The structure isn’t flexible, but demands aren’t either. However, some owners are as fortunate. For these owners, calculating long-term demands and balancing stakeholder priorities can be an exercise in futility. Parking is needed, but how much, when, and where?
Enter Relocatable Parking Structures.
Relocatable Parking Structures are designed to be much more flexible than a traditional parking facility. Using modular and hybrid construction, shorter spans and smaller sized members, these garages can be disassembled and rebuilt in new locations, preserving much of their value for future use. While there are some trade-offs in durability, parking efficiency, and aesthetics, relocatable garages can offer cost savings, sustainability benefits, and most of all - flexibility for owners experiencing fluctuations in demand over time or questions about long-term site uses.
Relocatable Parking Structures have been used elsewhere in Canada, Europe and Asia, but large-scale relocatable structures had not made their way onto the United States market until the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority (MWAA) recently sought to change that. MWAA manages both the Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport in the greater DC region. Both airports are generally ranked in the top 25 for airport traffic, though changes in relative demand between the two over the years have prompted priority shifts in parking needs. A relocatable garage would therefore provide MWAA the opportunity to build parking today, while minimizing costs if needs change in the future.
O&S is proud to provide professional design services including architectural design, parking consulting, and MEP design in support of this first-of-its-kind relocatable structure at the Reagan National Airport. The garage will ultimately support nearly 1,500 new parking stalls on top of a portion of the existing Economy Lot. The public opening will be done in two phases, with the first phase opening in early April of 2026, and the final phase opening in the fall of 2026.
Time will tell if a trend toward flexibility emerges in the parking industry. Owners with large but fixed boundaries, expanding vehicle populations, and uncertain futures are natural fits to explore alternative parking solutions, and Relocatable Parking Structures could provide long-term value in conversations where unknowns dominate.
Contact us if you’d like to learn more about Relocatable Parking Structures or explore parking options for your project.