Developers on the new Cambridge Park Drive residential complex had a strong motivation to find the most efficient way to build the adjacent parking structure: Because the residential building was being built on the site of the existing surface parking lot, the owners were prohibited from starting work on the residential building until they obtained a certificate of occupancy for the parking structure to accommodate the lost parking.
“Speed was critical, as the time to build the parking structure had to be added to the beginning of the schedule for the residential project,” explains Tom Denny, vice president of The Hanover Co., the construction manager on the project. The project was developed by Hanover R.S., a limited partnership. “The owners were looking to reduce the time for construction to minimize overhead costs and begin generating revenues on the residential units.”
Precast concrete was specified for the project for several reasons in addition to the speed it could provide, he notes. “In my opinion, precast concrete parking structures offer the best durability and cost effectiveness in addition to speed.”
The six-story, total precast concrete parking structure, contains about 153,000 square feet and was constructed of 488 precast concrete components, including double tees, girders, columns, shear walls, lite walls, spandrels, stairs, slabs, and wall panels. Blakeslee Prestress fabricated the components.
Using precast concrete also aided the construction process for the project, which was surrounded by adjacent buildings. “It was a very constrained site, with only one driveway in and no laydown area,” he says. The structure was erected from inside the footprint, with components delivered via truck and picked immediately for placement. Sequencing and communication were critical to keep the project moving. The erection took about six weeks.
Finishes were created to fit the project into its surroundings. An exposed aggregate was used that blended the panels with an adjacent office building, while additional panels were mounted on the structure that matched the finishes being used on the residential building. “The goal was to tie together the two buildings on either side by using complementary finishes for both on the parking structure,” he explains.
The parking structure was completed in 2015, with the residential building planned for occupancy by April 2017. |