Proj Overview

The South Street Landing project in Providence, Rhode Island, involves renovating an unused and dilapidated electrical-power station and converting it to administrative offices for Brown University and a nursing-education center shared by the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College. To accommodate these new uses, a 248,000-square-foot, eight-story precast concrete parking structure was built nearby.

Precast Chosen For Fast Construction Time
The total-precast concrete structure features double tees, inverted-tee beams, columns, shear walls, vertical lite walls, spandrels, and wall panels fabricated by Blakeslee Prestress. Precast concrete was chosen for the parking structure for several reasons, says Jim Highum, project manager for SGA, the architects on the project. “Precast allowed for a fast construction time, and it also is quite typical for parking garages in this region.”

A medium-sandblasted finish was chosen for the building to blend it with the office building, selected at the plant from mockups created showing various options. A gray concrete that ultimately provided a warmer, beige tone was used in the concrete mix. Blakeslee Prestress fabricated all of the components for the project.

The site posed restrictions owing to its original use as a coal-distribution facility for the adjacent power station, containing old pilings, debris, and building foundations beneath the soil, Highum says. It also had subsurface water due to its proximity to the Providence River. The precaster worked closely with the city and general contractor to ensure delivery and erection of components moved smoothly. “The sight is tight, but there was enough room at each end of the garage for cranes to work without blocking more than one lane of the street at a time,” he notes.

Crews started from the south end of the structure and worked their way north bay by bay. The erection was completed in 6.5 weeks and opened to the public in December 2016.

 

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Project Team

Precaster

Blakeslee Prestress, Inc., Branford, CT

Owner

CV Properties, South Norwalk, CT

Designer

SGA, Boston, MA

Structural Engineer

McNamara Salvia, Boston, MA

Contractor

Gilbane Building Co., Providence, RI

Key Project Attributes

  • Structural Precast Elements: 470 precast concrete pieces including
    • 229 Double Tees
    • 64 Inverted Tee Beams (long)
    • 16 Columns
    • 70 Shear Walls
    • 6 Vertical Lite Walls
    • 6 Spandrels
    • 79 Wall Panels

Project/Precast Scope

Sq. Footage: 248,000

Levels/Floors: 8