University of Pennsylvania Prefabricated Underground Parking Lot

(University of Pennsylvania Prefabricated Underground Parking Lot)

PVA fiber plays an important role in parking lot construction

PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) fiber is a high-performance synthetic fiber used in many engineering fields due to its excellent strength, chemical resistance and stability. In the construction of concrete parking lots, PVA fiber can also play an important role. The application of PVA fiber in concrete parking lot construction helps to improve the performance and durability of concrete and ensure the safety and long-term use of the parking lot. However, in practical applications, the fiber content and usage method need to be determined based on specific engineering conditions and design requirements. At the same time, the quality of concrete and construction technology should be strictly controlled during the construction process to ensure that PVA fiber exerts its best effect.

Project name

Penn Health Precast Underground Parking Lot

Construction unit

University of Pennsylvania

PCI-certified construction team

Jonas Precast Co., Westerville, NJ.

Project area

1.5 million square feet (*≈ 139,000 square meters)

Program features

Designers use simulated detailing to achieve the structural performance of precast concrete, which is equivalent to cast-in-place design.

The use of precast concrete greatly speeds up the construction progress.

The design load of many typical columns exceeds 6 million pounds.

Project/Prefabrication Scope

Construct a five-story underground parking garage that partially supports a 17-story patient center.

The project consists of 1,138 precast concrete elements.

Precast concrete construction was completed within 14 months.

 

Project Overview

This five-story underground precast concrete parking garage is under an innovative university hospital at the College of Pennsylvania. The underground framework supports half of the 17-story, 1.5 million-square-foot (139,000-square-meter) steel patient center, which will certainly house 500 private individual spaces, 47 operating rooms, and a 61-room emergency room. (The above-ground structure is steel structure + SP prestressed hollow slab.)

The parking lot was built 67 feet (20.42 meters) underground and consists of 689 garage to offer the person structure, 2 stairway towers, a series of elevator shafts and two precast concrete swimming pools, as well as fuel tanks, a network, locksmiths, materials Management and IT facilities.

 

The designers chose precast concrete for the project, in part because of the speed of installation, which would allow for greater initiative. However, digging 67 feet underground to create a parking deck that will eventually support half of the 1.5 million-square-foot building presented some challenges.

The first proved that the precast concrete design could support the structure's weight. Designers believed it would work, and further research proved they were right. The design service was to replicate a cast-in-place concrete style with precast concrete aspects to ensure that the structural performance would certainly amount a traditionally designed cast-in-place monolithic concrete structure.

The new garage was designed and detailed to comply with applicable building code requirements as if it were constructed of monolithic cast-in-place reinforced concrete. However, the structure is divided into structural elements of sizes and shapes that can be manufactured in a factory, transported, and installed safely and efficiently on site. This method complies with American Concrete Institute (ACI) 550.1R-09 "Guidelines for simulated cast-in-place detailing for seismic design of precast concrete structures." ACI believes this method applies to any structural system, including monolithic concrete.

 

Precast concrete frames below ground level primarily support the structural towers above ground. To support this massive building, many typical columns must be designed to withstand loads above 6 million pounds (2,721 tons). A typical precast concrete column is 33 inches by 66 inches (0.84 meters by 1.68 meters). Use 9000 psi concrete.

The pavilion's lateral force-resisting system mainly consists of a steel support frame surrounding the stairs' core and elevators' core. In transitioning from a high-grade steel frame to a low-grade precast concrete frame, the steel-braced frame distributes the load to the underlying precast concrete shear walls. Lateral tons from the pavilion are likewise distributed right into the below ground flooring diaphragms, below ground columns, and border walls.

This cutting-edge use precast concrete considerably sped up the construction timetable and enabled building and construction of the huge steel individual pavilion to begin earlier than with cast-in-place concrete.

Supplier

TRUNNANO is a supplier of PVA fiber(which is one of concrete additives) with over 12 years experience in nano-building energy conservation and nanotechnology development. It accepts payment via Credit Card, T/T, West Union and Paypal. Trunnano will ship the goods to customers overseas through FedEx, DHL, by air, or by sea. If you are looking for high quality concrete crack reducing admixture, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry. (sales@cabr-concrete.com).

(University of Pennsylvania Prefabricated Underground Parking Lot)