Parking Optimization · Santiago, Chile

Your parking was designed
for 2005 vehicles.

Today's SUVs and pickup trucks don't fit in the spaces that were approved when your building was constructed. Pelxode provides specialized consultancy to residential building committees: we survey actual dimensions, redesign demarcation, integrate EV charging, and plan automated storage for bicycles and electric scooters.

Service Area
Santiago, CL
Focus
Residential
EV Ready
Integration
Underground parking garage in a Santiago residential building showing tight column clearances
Real Dimension Survey
Column-to-column measurement
EV Charging
Integration
Scratched pillar in a residential underground garage from oversized modern vehicles
The Core Problem

Building permits approved spaces sized for compact cars of the early 2000s.

The Challenge

Buildings approved in the 2000s, vehicles built in 2026

Chilean building regulations that governed residential construction during the 2000s and early 2010s established minimum parking dimensions based on the vehicle fleet of that era. The average car has grown significantly since then — and today's popular SUVs, crossovers, and pickup trucks regularly exceed those original design assumptions.

  • Vehicles have grown Modern SUVs and crossovers are considerably wider and longer than the compact sedans that parking spaces were originally dimensioned for.
  • Columns are in the wrong place Structural pillars that were acceptable clearances for 2005 vehicles now create daily scratching and denting incidents.
  • New mobility needs ignored Electric scooters, cargo bikes, and e-bikes have no designated storage, creating safety and access problems in shared spaces.
  • EV charging demand is rising Residents are purchasing electric vehicles but the building's electrical panel was never designed to support simultaneous charging loads.
See How We Help Committees
Our Services

Four areas of parking optimization

Each service is designed to address a specific dimension of the parking problem in residential buildings. They can be engaged individually or as a comprehensive package.

Dimensional Survey

We conduct a systematic physical measurement of every parking space in your underground garage — column clearances, drive aisle widths, turning radii, and ceiling heights — producing a precise baseline document.

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Demarcation Redesign

Using the survey data, we redesign the painted marking layout to maximize the number of usable spaces while accommodating the actual dimensions of today's vehicles, including accessible spaces.

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Automated Bike & Scooter Storage

We design and specify automated vertical or mechanical storage systems for bicycles and electric scooters, reclaiming dead corner space and eliminating the chaos of bikes chained to pipes and railings.

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EV Charging Integration

We analyze your building's existing electrical infrastructure and design a phased EV charging deployment plan that adds charging points without overloading the basement electrical panel.

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How It Works

A structured approach to parking improvement

Our consultancy process follows a clear sequence from initial assessment to implementation support, ensuring committees have the information they need at each stage.

01

Initial Consultation

We meet with the building committee to understand the specific issues, the vehicle mix of residents, and any prior attempts to address parking problems.

02

Physical Survey

Our team visits the property and conducts a complete dimensional measurement of the underground parking area, documenting every space, column, and circulation zone.

03

Analysis & Design

We analyze the survey data and develop redesign proposals — demarcation layouts, storage system specifications, and electrical capacity assessments.

04

Report Delivery

We deliver a comprehensive written report with drawings, specifications, and prioritized recommendations that the committee can present to residents and contractors.

Why Pelxode

Reasons to work with us

Parking optimization in residential buildings requires a specific combination of technical knowledge, practical experience, and understanding of how building committees operate in Chile.

Physical Measurement First

We never base recommendations on architectural drawings alone. Every project begins with a physical survey of actual dimensions, because construction variations are common and consequential.

Electrical Infrastructure Awareness

EV charging integration requires understanding the building's existing electrical panel capacity. We assess infrastructure before recommending charging solutions, avoiding costly surprises.

Designed for Building Committees

Our reports are structured to be useful for building committees: clear, actionable, and presentable to residents and contractors without requiring technical expertise to interpret.

Local Knowledge of Santiago

We work specifically in Santiago's residential building stock, giving us familiarity with the construction practices, regulatory context, and vehicle patterns that are specific to this market.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Answers to the questions building committees most commonly ask before engaging our consultancy services.

In many cases, yes. The original demarcation layout is often not the most efficient use of available space. By remeasuring the actual dimensions and redesigning the painted marking layout — sometimes changing space orientation, adjusting aisle widths within safe limits, or reconfiguring how spaces relate to columns — it is often possible to recover spaces that were previously unusable or to create new usable spaces in areas that were marked as circulation. The extent of what is achievable depends entirely on the physical characteristics of each specific garage, which is why the survey phase is essential before any promises are made.

The key is load management. Rather than installing chargers that each draw their maximum rated power simultaneously, modern EV charging systems can communicate with each other and with the building's electrical infrastructure to distribute available capacity intelligently. If five cars are charging at once and the panel approaches its limit, the system reduces each charger's output proportionally. We assess the building's existing electrical capacity, identify what headroom exists, and design a charging system — including any necessary panel upgrades — that adds EV capability without requiring a full electrical infrastructure overhaul.

A dimensional survey covers every parking space in the underground area: the width and length of each individual space, the clearance between each space and adjacent columns or walls, the width of each drive aisle, the turning radii available at key decision points, ceiling heights at column faces and in open areas, and the location of any fixed infrastructure (pipes, electrical conduits, fire suppression heads) that affects usable space. The result is a scaled floor plan with annotated measurements that serves as the foundation for all subsequent analysis and design work.

Our report is designed to support the committee's decision-making process. We provide a written document with drawings, specifications, and a prioritized list of recommendations with estimated implementation complexity. The committee can present this material at a resident assembly, use it to obtain contractor quotes, or implement recommendations in phases based on available budget. We do not manage implementation directly, but we can be engaged to review contractor proposals and answer technical questions during the implementation phase.

Automated vertical storage systems are particularly well-suited to buildings where residents have bikes or scooters but no designated storage area, resulting in these items being stored in parking spaces, stairwells, or common areas. The systems work best in areas with ceiling heights of 2.4 metres or more and a footprint of at least 2 × 2 metres. Corner spaces, dead-end areas, and low-ceiling zones that cannot accommodate cars are often ideal locations. We assess the available space during the survey phase and specify systems that are compatible with the physical constraints of each specific location.

No. Original plans are useful as a reference but are not required. In fact, one of the most common findings in our surveys is that actual as-built conditions differ meaningfully from what the original drawings show. Construction tolerances, modifications made during construction, and subsequent alterations all contribute to discrepancies. Our physical measurement establishes the true current state of the garage, which is what matters for any redesign work. If original plans are available, we use them as a cross-reference, but our work is always grounded in physical measurement.

Is your building's parking working for today's vehicles?

Contact Pelxode to discuss your building's specific situation. We serve residential building committees throughout Santiago.