Putting Minds At Ease With Safer Parking Decks
When it came to the new parking deck at the University of Maryland-College Park, the project team of OPUS Contracting and Tindall Corporation specifically included architectural features that could reduce both crime and anxiety about using parking decks. This included 11-ft 4-in. floor-to-floor dimensions; 8-ft clear span girders at the end turn-a-rounds; no interior shear walls; and no intermediate columns.
When it came to the new parking deck at the University of Maryland-College Park, the project team of OPUS Contracting and Tindall Corporation specifically included architectural features that could reduce both crime and anxiety about using parking decks. This included 11-ft 4-in. floor-to-floor dimensions; 8-ft clear span girders at the end turn-a-rounds; no interior shear walls; and no intermediate columns.
Details
Owner: University of Maryland
Architect: OPUS Contracting
Engineer: OPUS Contracting
Contractor: OPUS Contracting
Location: College Park, MD
Architect: OPUS Contracting
Engineer: OPUS Contracting
Contractor: OPUS Contracting
Location: College Park, MD
Architectural
- The six-level parking deck provides 1,728 spaces
- A punched window design adds natural daylight and ventilation
- 11-ft 4-in. floor-to-floor height reduces the typical closed-in feeling
- Light-colored, high-gloss painted members reflect daylight
- Long line-of-sight with 48-ft clear span girders at end turn-a-rounds, no interior shear walls and no intermediate columns
Structural
- Exterior wall panels are load-bearing for double tee floor and roof panels
- The all-new, 13-ft 4-in. lite wall supports 50% more standard double tees and improves openness by 20%
- Only six columns were used in the entire parking deck
- Exterior panels serve as the primary lateral resisting element
- Precast pieces totaled 934
Construction
- The open design helped accomplish BOCA 2C classification
- Erection of the parking deck took only 18 weeks
