Best Parking Structure
HISD Bellaire High School Parking Garage
Description
As part of the 2012 bond referendum, HISD (Houston Independent School District) took on the challenge of building a new 400,000 sq. ft. high school campus on the same lot as the current campus, while utilizing only an existing science wing.
The 3,218-student campus stayed open through the entire process, which utilized multiple-phase construction over four years.
In early 2019, a year before COVID-19, Turner Construction in Houston solicited bids for the new high school campus parking garage, which included procuring the bonded project for construction in 2022. After the interview process, which involved various strategies, escalation proposals, lengthy negotiations, and plant tours, Turner Construction turned to the experts at Legacy Precast for the new precast concrete parking structure, which was a critical component to the overall success of rebuilding the active school campus.
After an in-person kickoff meeting, Legacy Precast engaged their precast specialty engineer, CEG International to begin working on the project immediately. The core CEG team included Dr. Larbi Sennour PE, Patrick Rodd PE, and Meiling Chen PE.
Given the long lead time, it was critical to complete all engineering submittals well in advance, so piece tickets could be completed and production could commence at any time there was an open production slot in the plant.
A relatively simple design with a gray as-cast precast finish, the three-bay wide, four-level structure included 160,000 sq. ft. of suspended double tees and 516 pieces of precast/prestressed concrete.
Given the complexity of the tight site in an affluent neighborhood on an active high school campus, Legacy Precast engaged their sister company, Heritage Precast Erectors for the installation.
At the end of the day, with a pandemic and record inflation, Legacy Precast delivered and erected the project within budget from their Brookshire, Texas manufacturing plant.
Project Timeline
The contract was inked in July 2019, yet installation was scheduled for completion in 2022, which is not typical for commercial or institutional precast projects.
From the award of precast in 2019, the Legacy Precast team of Huss Sinjari and Charles Franke, along with the team at CEG International worked to obtain early submittals and approvals to optimize production scheduling.
The long lead time allowed Legacy Precast to manufacture and bill for product well in advance of the installation, which optimized production efficiency throughout 2021.
Precast installation began in early January 2022 and was completed on February 22nd, averaging 14 pieces per day for installation. The parking garage opened on schedule for use by students and staff in the fall of 2022.
Key design features
Key features include:
- All precast concrete parking structure with two bays in the ground, all delivered and installed on the high school campus without closing the school.
- Phased master plan construction with the award of precast concrete in 2019 and installation of the precast concrete parking structure in 2022.
- To reduce costs and maintenance, the architect and owner specified an as-cast gray concrete finish on all components.
Accomplishments
By utilizing precast concrete and teaming with Legacy Precast three years prior to installation, Turner Construction, the owner, architect, and EOR were able to achieve their design intent and control costs. This included installation of four levels of parking on an active school campus with 3,218 students, located on a very tight site in the Bellaire residential neighborhood in Houston, Texas.
Precast concrete components
Type and Number of Pieces – 516 pieces
235 double tees, 73 spandrels, 89 walls, 34 vertical ramp walls, 24 beams, 8 shear walls, 28 columns, 18 stairs, and 7 slabs.
- Precast Manufacturer: Legacy Precast – Brookshire, Texas
- Architect: PBK – Houston, Texas
- General Contractor: Turner Construction – Houston, Texas
- Precast Engineer: CEG International – San Antonio, Texas
- Engineer of Record: Walter P. Moore – Houston, Texas
- Precast Concrete Erector: Heritage Precast Erectors – Brookshire, Texas
PCMA Associates
