Project Overview
This nine-level, open parking structure, part of a medical office and surgery center for the Orlando Regional Medical Center in Florida, stands out for its palm-tree murals installed on the precast concrete wall panels. The decorative accent softens the scale of the structure and allows it to better blend with the surrounding medical-office campus.
Precast Solution
The facility, with a footprint of 310 ft × 280 ft (94 m × 85 m), stands 100 ft (30 m) tall. It features a total–precast concrete structural system, including columns, shear walls, lite walls (shear walls with openings cast into them to provide visual continuity), double tees, inverted-tee beams, stairs, horizontal frames, flat slabs, and spandrel panels. The panels form frames on the structure’s façade that help to reduce the visual mass. Metal-framed grilles were used to mimic windows on a building, providing a more pleasing appearance and aiding in mass reduction.
The murals, which were fit into the precast concrete frames, range in height from 32 ft to 61 ft (10 m to 19 m). The palm trees replicate original artwork created by nationally known local artist Maria Reyes-Jones. To further downsize the huge structure and heighten visual interest, colorful graphic banners dress up portions of the elevation.
A total of 1656 precast concrete components were erected on the project. The project went from start to completion in 15 months. |