In Lyon, water from parking garages is used to cool a theater and irrigate landscapes
Servir le public | Elsa Sidawy | 07.18.11
Quick read
In Lyon, a company that manages parking garages wanted to create a positive environmental impact for structures that have many negative ones. Lyon Parc Auto thus introduced a novel method to make use of the water pumped under its underground parking lots.
Under the cars, continuous pumping
Fed by the Rhône and Saône rivers, Lyon’s water table is only 4-5 meters deep and creates major headaches for underground car park developers. During construction they have to pump out water so that it does not get into the foundations of the structure. To ensure their lots, which can reach 5 to 7 levels, are sealed, the semi-private company (SEM) must pump water continuously. “To avoid buoyancy, which inevitably causes leaks in these geological structures, it is essential to regularly pump the underground water,” said François Gindre, director of LPA, as quoted by Patrick Cros in his article published on “Serving the public.”
Reuse pumped water for public spaces
Maintenance costs and energy consumption are the main disadvantages of this system of continuous pumping, where water is directly returned to the water table. However, the water extracted 25 meters below ground can reach 16 ° C. Lyon Parc Auto has broken new ground by making it possible to recover the flow and energy of this water for various public uses.
In Villeurbanne, the water will be used to cool, for free, the 800 m2 of the halls of the Théâtre national populaire, currently under renovation. “The facility, funded by the city to the tune of 38,000 euros, will ensure a permanent flow of 100 m3 per hour,” says Alain Lemay, technical manager of LPA. Again in Villeurbanne, the pumped water feeds ornamental ponds and waters green areas. In Lyon, this blue gold fills the lake of the Park Tête d’Or, keeping its level stable throughout the year. On the left bank, the la Fosse parking lot irrigates green areas on the Rhône riverfront. The company may not have invented hot water but it’s using it wisely.
Translated by Genny Cortinovis
Related content : Lyon, parking, parking garages
