This article by Usnik Tuladhar, a project manager at Walter P Moore, originally appeared in the March 2023 issue of Parking Magazine, the official publication of the National Parking Association.
Overview
Construction of the 343,000-square-foot garage was part of a larger effort to revitalize the area and increase density around Austin’s original indoor shopping mall. Design work on the new garage started in 2017, with precast concrete production commencing in early 2019. The garage officially opened in July 2021.
Flexible-Use Design
The self-park garage has a capacity for 969 cars. It includes 20 EV charging stations and 24 ADA-compliant stalls for the Austin Permitting and Development Center’s employees and patrons. Ground-floor space is designated for retail, a fitness center, and for washing vehicles. The garage also includes a bike storage area, complete with an on-site workshop. The partially underground single-ramp garage includes three entrances and three exits on two different levels.
Facility Facts
Location: Austin, Texas
Spaces: 969
Opened: July 2021
Levels: 6
Structural Engineer: Walter P Moore
Precaster: Coreslab Structures, Inc.Complex Structural System
Stiff structural elements at the ends of the garage, together with the length of the garage, required two expansion joints. Each of the three garage segments was designed with its own independent lateral-load resisting system. The lowest level of the lateral system was also designed to resist the forces from unbalanced-earth lateral loads. The retail shops and fitness center are located on the ground level but over basement parking. That level required the use of hollow-core slabs and additional framing members to support the heavier floor load and increased floor-to-ceiling clearance.
Life-Cycle Sustainability
A whole-building life-cycle assessment for the permitting center, including the garage, has received a 4-star rating under the Austin Energy Green Building program.
