Beneath the plaza: Garage takes shape

Rendering of the completed garage at Barney Allis Plaza

If you’ve driven by Barney Allis Plaza recently, you might have noticed the plaza deck is taking shape. By the beginning of May, 10 of the fourteen concrete pours on the plaza will be complete, moving one step closer to finishing out the deck before landscaping work can begin. And though you can’t see it, what’s happening underneath the deck in the garage space is accelerating in tandem.

You’ve probably never noticed as you’ve driven into a parking garage – you’re too busy seeking the most convenient space and remembering where your vehicle is located – but parking structures are prime examples of intricate planning, design, engineering, coordination and construction. 

After garage design drawings are completed, a digital model of the garage is built. Each trade partner working on the garage construction–from mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire, fiber and others–submits three dimensional models of what they will build. Then, powerful building information modeling software uses these models to assemble a composite plan for precise documentation and efficient multidisciplinary collaboration.

This level of complexity requires a high-level of communication and coordination. Are plumbing pipes in conflict with where foundation walls need to stand? Is there enough space for electrical conduit cables to fit between wall cavities? 

The answers to these questions or at least gathering a baseline of information is critical. For the parking garage at Barney Allis, before any construction began, the process started with the creation of a fly-through of the garage, searching for places where pipes, columns, ductwork, wiring, conduit, walls, etc., might be in conflict and could be moved.

Once the model is fully coordinated, the project team returns computer-aided design (CAD) files of each system to the trade partners, and develops install drawings based on the 3D model. 

This process allows the mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) teams to get a head start. 

After initial demolition, installation of tiebacks and early base foundation work, as each layer of the garage began to come together, formwork and shoring, or temporary support systems were installed for each section to maintain the stability during concrete pours. 

MEP installation teams worked in a highly coordinated effort along with the concrete pour work, with one trade group seamlessly coming in following another’s work. When MEP work for each section is complete, the section is re-shored until the concrete above is tensioned. This process is repeated for each section.

All MEP work is installed from top down. Electrical, low voltage, and fire suppression equipment is routed through top of beams, against the decks, and the other systems begin to stack underneath. Once the overhead work is completed, individual rooms for electrical panels, storage and other uses will move through the final build-out process, and final lighting will be installed throughout.

Much work remains, but the garage is beginning to take shape!