Monument Drive Commuter Parking Garage & Transit Center

Address: 12113 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax

Project Type: Public

Project Size: 262,000 square feet

Project Cost: $40.85 million

Owner: Fairfax County

Contractor: Howard Shockey & Sons

Architect: HGA

Engineers: Gordon (civil); Walker Consultants (parking)

Subcontractor: Mackey Electrical Services

A commuter parking garage is not typically where a jurisdiction plants its flag on sustainability and design ambition, but Fairfax County did exactly that with the Monument Drive Commuter Parking Garage & Transit Center. An eight-level, 262,000-square-foot multimodal facility along the Interstate 66 corridor, it became the first parking garage in Virginia to achieve Parksmart Silver certification from Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) and operates at 75% net-zero energy consumption.

The $40.85 million facility provides 820 free parking spaces, 40 electric vehicle charging stations, a ground-level rideshare transfer station, secure bike parking and direct Capital Bikeshare access — all designed to reduce congestion along one of Northern Virginia’s most pressured commuter corridors. Among its most distinctive features is a sheltered transfer station for “slugging,” the region’s informal carpooling practice in which drivers pick up strangers to access express lanes toll-free.

Solar photovoltaic panels generate on-site power, LED lighting with occupancy sensors reduces energy demand, and the 3.82-acre site incorporates rain gardens, green roofs and native plantings that manage stormwater and support biodiversity. During construction, more than 85% of construction waste was recycled.

To manage the tight footprint near the county’s government center campus, Howard Shockey & Sons sequenced the delivery of 800 precast components through a just-in-time system that eliminated the need for lay-down space entirely, achieving zero safety incidents throughout.

Clad in more than 4,000 custom-engineered aluminum tubes and 768 metal wall panels finished in four shades of terracotta, the distinctive structure is designed to be viewed from all directions — a deliberate statement that utilitarian infrastructure can also be attractive. At the top, a full photovoltaic solar array and green roof sit behind a steel cornice; at street level, a single-story glass-and-aluminum canopy shelters an eight-bay bus terminal. The energy-efficient lighting system can be programmed for themed and animated displays, illuminating the structure after dark.