AJC Consulting, Inc.

Advanced Structural Design

CE 448 - Section 2
An Integrated Capstone Design Project #2
Parking Garage Final Project Submittal
4/30/2015

The Pennsylvania State University

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Spring 2015

Ayo Battles - Manager

Colin Barbish
Jake McTavish

Table of Contents
Section

Page Number

1. Introduction and Problem Statement.3

2. Facility General Layout, Traffic Flow, and Space Allocation.....5
3. Facility Elevations and Aesthetic Design..7
4. Structural Framing Plan and MWFRS...8
5. Foundation Plan..10
6. Load Estimates.......11
7. Main Wind Force Resisting System Wind Loads..13
8. Deck Member Design (Double T)....17
9. Interior Girder Design........32
10. Shear Wall Design.....38
11. Summary and Conclusions...46

1. Introduction and Problem Statement

AJC Consulting, Inc., consisting of Colin Barbish, Ayo Battles, team manager,
and Jake McTavish have been tasked with designing a parking garage structure to
accommodate the newly designed manufacturing facility in Flint, Michigan. The
structure will be designed using ASCE 7: Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and
Other Structures2 which provided the basis to all loading approximations, ACI 11-14

Concrete code3, and PCI Design Manual. This parking facility will be located 100 feet
south of the 4227 Van Slyke Road location. The final product will consist of a total area
of 85,000 square feet. This includes a length of 200 feet, extending in the East-West
direction, and a width of 425 feet, extending in the North-South direction on a relatively
flat site. The final structure will be able to accommodate at least 550 employee vehicles,
in order to meet owner expectations.
Several key factors including building size, location, and functionality were all
taken into consideration while making vital project decisions. The project site
specifications, detailed in this report, have been determined to provide a feasible and
economical solution to the owners request.
The parking structure was designed so that the employees of this manufacturing
facility were able to efficiently park their vehicles then enter the office building, and
return to their vehicles then leave the structure in as little time as possible. Traffic flow
and ease of access were top priorities in addition to meeting and exceeding the owners
desires and requests.
The precast concrete parking facility will be structural supported by double Ts,
inverted Ts, L-beams, spandrel panels, and shear walls used as the main wind force
resisting system. The structural framing design and foundation design will be based off
ACI code and PCI Design manual. These plans will be based to support loadings
determined through ASCE 7.
All components described in this report are validated through either the
calculation portions or the attached drawings. Throughout the overall design process,

AJC feels confident that it maintained good ethics and created a structurally integral
building that will fit the owners needs.

2. General Facility Layout, Traffic Flow, and Space Allocation

The general facility layout, traffic flow, and space allocation were designed to
efficiently accommodate as many vehicles as possible while providing a comfortable
experience for the driver of the vehicles. This parking structure is able to accommodate
a maximum of 600 vehicles. The parking structure was designed to be very time
efficient for the employees which was an additional feature that went beyond the scope

of the owner. Therefore to produce these results, the parking structures circulation
system was designed as a 3 bay side by side with one way traffic.
The 1st floor will contain a single entrance into the structure that is facing the
office building entrance. This entrance will contain two lanes with one designed for
entering and the other for exiting. Both lanes will be 26 feet wide and contain a booth
that will grant entrance and exit to employees of the manufacturing facility through an
electronic key fob given to all appropriate employees. This feature will efficiently grant
entrance and exit to all appropriate vehicles in a timely fashion.
Upon entrance into the structure, a single lane at 31 feet wide will flow
counterclockwise around the structure will guide vehicles through each of the three
floors and back to the exit. The 31 feet wide one way traffic lanes were designed to
comfortably provide enough room for large vehicles to back out of their parking spots.
However, the 1st floor ramp and 2nd floor ramp will consist of two lanes with each lane
consisting of a 13.5 feet widths across flowing in opposite directions to easily guide
vehicles to the upper and lower floors. These ramps are sloped at a typical 6% grade
and are 200 feet long to accommodate more parking spots for vehicles. Each parking
spot will be dimensioned at 8.67 feet wide and 18 feet long to accommodate larger
vehicles.
Additionally, the 1st floor and 1st floor ramp can accommodate 212 vehicles. The
2nd floor and 2nd floor ramp can accommodate 221 vehicles. The 3rd floor will contain
167 spots. All floors will contain four handicapped parking spots per floor dimensioned
at 10 feet long and 8.75 feet wide, that are strategically located near the elevators and
stair exits for passenger convenience. The twelve total handicapped parking spots are 1

inch larger than the typical employee parking spots for more convenience. Also for
convenience a stairwell stretching from the 1st floor to 3rd floor will be located in the
North-West corner of the parking structure. Shear walls will be located around the
elevator shaft and stairwell in the North-West corner of the parking structure with
dimensions of 11.5 feet in the North-South direction and 30 feet in the East-West
direction. This stairwell will also serve to resist the wind forces applied to the parking
structure. Moreover, leading towards the office building from the parking structure will be
two sidewalks located on the East and West of the most northern wall.
At AJC Consulting, the owners requests for the conceptual layout will meet and
exceed expectations. This facility is anticipated to safely and effectively allow
employees and visitors to park and walk to the office/manufacturing space.

3. Facility Elevations, Exterior Wall Section, and Aesthetic Design

The parking structure will consist of three-stories with each floor providing a
clearance height of 11.5 feet, which will display a total height of 45 feet. The clearance
heights were designed to accommodate larger vehicles as stated in prior sections. The
heights between floor were designed to be 15 feet apart.

With these elevations, the double T beam member depths and exterior spandrel
depth were designed to be 3.5 feet and 3.6 feet. Located in the appendix is a drawing of
the exterior wall section, which displays the loads transferred from the double-T beam to
the exterior L-beams.
Lastly, the parking structure will have a brick finish on the exterior walls to match
the office building. This brick finish in addition to the vegetation planted around the
parking structure will provide the parking structure with a pleasant view from Van Sykes
Road. The vegetation will consist of local plants that are indigenous to Flint, Michigan,
as to incorporate an environmentally friendly landscape.

4. Structural Framing Plan

The structural framing plan was designed to incorporate a precast concrete

design. The design consisted of the following structural precast elements: Double Ts, L
beams, Inverted Ts. It also incorporated a shear wall as the main wind resisting system.

The decking supporting vehicular travel on the 2nd and 3rd floors was designed
as double Ts. The double Ts on the on the 2nd and 3rd floor span east to west and have
2 different lengths. the double Ts on the exterior of the building are 68 long. The DTs in
the interior that line up with ramp are 64 long. The double Ts that are on the ramp are
also 64 long and are sloped at 3.43 degrees.
To support the double Ts, various inverted Ts and L-beams were required. Along
all of the exterior walls on both the 2nd and 3rd floors L-beams were used to support the
double Ts. The Double Ts were notched at the ends allowing them to be easily placed
during construction.The inverted Ts run along the column lines C and E positioned from
the exterior of the building to where the ramp began and ended. These inverted Ts
support the Double Ts on on the interior and the exterior on the 2nd and 3rd floors. To
support the exterior Double Ts along the ramp a L-beam was required. Also on the ramp
itself a L-beam was used to support the double Ts at the appropriate angle to achieve a
typical 6% grade.
The main wind resisting system the parking garage incorporated was a shear
wall that was located in the north-west corner of the building. This shear wall was
positioned around the stairwell and the elevator. The wall is 32 by 13 to allow ample
space for a staircase and an elevator shaft.
The spandrels on this building were 3 - 7. They were designed as so to ensure
they would cover the Double Ts. A steel angle is required to carry the load from the
architectural brick to the bottom of the spandrels.The spandrels are primarily for
architectural purposes to hide the Double Ts.

The only problem that could occur with this design is that the shear wall may be
too small to withstand the wind loading that a building of this size will experience. One
way the team could combat this would be to add an another shear wall on the southeast corner of the building. After further discussion, the team did indeed decide to
provide an additional shear wall.

5. Foundation Plan

The foundations were designed to support all loadings and concrete structural
members. For each column, both interior and exterior, the concrete footings are

designed to resist the necessary load. Moreover, the interior columns are designed to
resist heavier loads so the interior foundations are required to be larger than the exterior
foundations. The foundations for the interior columns are estimated to be 13 feet by 13
feet and the foundations for the exterior columns are estimated to be 10 feet by 10 feet.
Additionally to provide foundational support to the shear wall surrounding the
elevator shaft and stairwell, a concrete slab with dimensions of approximately 11.5 feet
by 30 feet with an estimated 2 feet thickness will be laid.

6. Load Estimation

Determining accurate loading estimations is a paramount step within the

beginning stages of the project. Improper loading estimates can lead to project delays,

unnecessary costs, or an unsafe structure. Initial load approximations were divided up

into four categories: Dead, Live, Wind, and Snow. Basic dead load combinations were
either given in the project statement or approximated using engineering sources. All live
loading approximations were based off of ASCE 7: Minimum Design Loads for Buildings
and Other Structures2. Snow load calculations were based off ASCE 7 Section 7.3: Flat
Roof Snow Loads. All wind calculations were derived from ASCE 7 Chapters 26-30.
Estimated loads can be found on a spreadsheet on the Loading Determination
Estimates page. All loading combinations were taken into consideration and were based
off the following LRFD equations:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

1.4D
1.2D + 1.6L + 0.5(Lr or S or R)
1.2D + 1.6(Lr or S or R) + (L or 0.5W)
1.2D + 1.0W + L + 0.5(Lr or S or R)
1.2D + 1.0E + L + 0.2S
0.9D + 1.0W
0.9D + 1.0E
Different loading combinations were deemed appropriate in different areas of the design
process, and are appropriately referred to in all calculation documents.

7. Main Wind Force Resisting System Wind Loads

In order to maintain its structural integrity, the parking garage was designed to
resist horizontal wind loading. ASCE 7-10 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and
Other Structures provided the basis for calculating the MWFRS capacity. Ultimately, the
stairwells and elevator shafts served as two separate shear walls in opposite corners of
the garage. These elevators and stairwells were originally positioned in the corner of the

building closest to the handicap spaces, and then an additional elevator and stairway
was positioned in the opposite garage corner for convenience to the commuters. These
elevators and stairways were then utilized as shear walls for the purpose of
convenience. Final dimensions of each shear wall will measure 13-0 by 32-0. This
minimum length of 13-0 was found to adequately support the minimum shear wall of
6-0 found in the ACI Manual. Ultimately, for simplicity purposes, only the 32 side of the
shear wall was designed, in anticipation that it would control in resisting horizontal
loadings.
Wind loading calculations were initially established in the direction parallel to the
longer dimension of the garage. This face of the wall consists of 200 feet of surface
exposed to wind forces. The garage was classified as Risk Category II, Exposure B,
and was designed in a similar fashion to that of the manufacturing/office building. Three
different elevation points were evaluated to represent the loading at each floor. These
points located at 4, 19, and 34 from ground level for the bottom floor, second floor, and
third floor, respectively.The face of the wall was treated as one solid surface, neglecting
the wind that will travel freely through open surfaces within the garage. This assumption
was made for calculation simplicity and conservative purposes. The wind calculations
detail the process deriving a total force of 31.4 kips at the foundation level, 77.2 kips to
the second floor, and 37.4 kips the the top floor. All horizontal loads are anticipated to be
supported by the shear wall.
Additional wind calculations were performed in the other direction, wind blowing
parallel to the short side of the garage This face of the wall consists of 425 feet of
surface exposed to wind forces. Three separate points of interest were again evaluated

at 4, 19, and 34 from ground level. It was found that the foundation must resist 80.8
kips, while the second floor resists 151 kips, and the third floor resists 73.6 kips.

8. Deck Member Design (Double T)

Double T sections are typically found in parking garages for a variety of reasons.
There are several benefits including the ability to span long distances, fire resistances,
speed of construction, and sustainable design. Double T members were designed within
this project utilizing the use of both ACI 318, as well as the PCI Design Guide. Two

separate Double T members were designed to account for those that span 68, and
those spanning 64.
Within the design process, the Double Ts were assumed to be simply supported,
subject to a live load of 400 pounds per linear foot (plf), a superimposed dead load of
100 pounds per linear foot, and a dead self weight of 1000 pounds per linear foot. In
both cases fc was taken as 5000 psi, and f ci as 3750 psi. Furthermore, fpu was assumed
as 270 psi, while the total losses were estimated as 18% of P i. Calculating the moments
due to dead, superimposed dead, and live loadings allowed for the S t and Sb
estimations.
Initially the 68 span Double T was designed. S t,req was calculated at 1496.9 in3
while Sb,req yielded 1985.9 in3. These values then in turn allowed for the selection of a
DT selection from the PCI Design Manual. Ultimately a 8DT32 section was chosen in
which St and Sb both met the calculated requirements. This 8DT32 section has a self
weight of 591 plf, which was integral to further calculations. The design process of the
strands yielded an estimated eccentricity of 23, and required 13 -inch diameter
strands. Analyzing the section for transfer and service at both centerline and end
supports proved that the section was adequate for use. Following the strand design, the
shear design took place. An ultimate Vu and Mu, both located at h/2, were found to be
48 kips and 65.3-k, respectively. Stirrups were required and ultimately a 6x6 W2.9xW2.9
mesh was chosen. This provided an Av of 0.058 sqin/ft/web at a spacing of 6 in both
the longitudinal and transverse directions. Both Avprov and Avmin were checked and all
spacing requirements were met.
The 64 Double T was designed using the same methodology. In this case S t,req

was calculated at 2365 in3 while Sb,req yielded 1759 in3. These values then in turn
allowed for the selection of a DT selection from the PCI Design Manual. Ultimately a
8DT32 section was chosen in which St and Sb both met the calculated requirements.
This 8DT32 section has a self weight of 591 plf, which was integral to further
calculations. The design process of the strands yielded an estimated eccentricity of 21,
and required 14 -inch diameter strands. Analyzing the section for transfer and service
at both centerline and end supports proved that the section was adequate for use.
Following the strand design, the shear design took place. An ultimate Vu and Mu, both
located at h/2, were found to be 45 kips and 57.8 -k, respectively. Stirrups were not
required due to the factored Vc per web being greater than the subject Vu.
Overall, the decision to make both the 64 and 68 member spans the same
section will positively affect the construction process. It is also logical that both sections
were designed as the same due to the very similar span lengths.

9. Interior Girder Design

The interior girder serving as a support system to the Double T members was
designed as an Inverted T. Inverted T members are also typical within parking garage

designs. These Inverted T members were designed within this project again utilizing the
both ACI 318, as well as the PCI Design Guide.
The span of these members was 46-8 and ultimately designed to support a
dead load of 274 kips and a live load of 158 kips from the Double T members. The
Inverted T members were designed at a span of 48 for safety. Based off load
combination 2, the ultimate shear force, Vu, was calculated at 291 kips, while the
ultimate moment, Mu, was calculated at 6982 ft-kips. Based on these loadings, a
section of 34IT52 was chosen. Additionally, the section consisted of 44 -inch diameter
strands. Additionally, the section required a 6X6 W11XW11 shear steel stirrups.
Analyzing the section for transfer and service at both centerline and end supports
proved that the section was adequate for use.

10. Shear Wall Design

The shear wall was designed to transfer all horizontal loads and moments of the
building to the foundation. The shear wall is a total of 45 tall, this is to make sure that

there is ample room for the stairs and elevator shaft. The dimensions of the wall is 13 0 by 32 - 0. Wall thickness was found to be 16.
The width of the wall was determined using ACI 318-11. From calculations the
wall was determined that the minimum thickness required was 14.52. For construction
purposes it was decided that the wall would be 16 thick. This provides a factor of safety
in our calculations for the thickness.
The lengths of the wall in the short and long direction of the building were
determined by finding the minimum required length in each direction. The lengths on the
wall depended on the the lateral loading that came from wind. The shorter wall was
perpendicular to the 200 wall. This was because the shorter wall would have less of a
tributary area therefore less lateral loading. It was determined that the minimum length
required in the short direction was 6. To build a stair and an elevator we decided that
the shear wall would need to be 13 - 0 to fit the equipment and provide a spacious
staircase. So in the short direction we provided enough length to take care of the lateral
forces. The main direction that the team designed for was in the long direction. Long
direction refers to the lateral loading forces from the 425 wall. To be able to fit the
elevator and stairs the wall was designed to be 32 long. According to ACI equations the
wall was initially only required to be 7.7 long. It was decided that constructability
controlled in this case as well. The gravity loads were then checked to make sure that
the wall had sufficient strength to support requirements. The compressive strength of
concrete used was 4000 psi.
After checking bearing and shear on the wall the reinforcement was determined.
An initial check of required steel in the vertical direction determined that #4 bars at 26

o/c would be required for the shear. But upon review of ACI code it was found that the
maximum spacing was 18. So for both the horizontal and vertical reinforcement an 18
spacing o/c was used to meet minimum requirements.

11. Summary and Conclusions

AJC Consulting believes the proposed design will satisfy and exceed all owner
requirements and serve an appropriate role to the community of Flint, Michigan.

Additionally, it will serve to complete the overall manufacturing building project site. The
final project will consist of a three-story precast concrete parking garage dimensioning
425 by 200. This garage will sit due south of the existing building. The site has been
positioned in such a manner that will optimize the amount of available space and
accommodate the facilitys function, while maintaining a visually appeasing look. The
entrance and exit of the garage has been oriented on the north side of the garage in
order to allow the commuters to travel between the garage and building in the most
efficient manner. Overall, the garage can accommodate up to 600 vehicles, featuring
parking spaces along all four sides of the garage, and parking alongside both ends of
each ramp. It has also been designed to include the required 12 ADA parking spaces. In
accordance with the positioning of the handicap spaces, the elevator and stairway have
been located accordingly to meet the needs of those physically disabled. Additionally, a
second elevator and stairway has been positioned in the opposite (southeast) corner.
Parking spaces have been designed as 8-8 from center-to-center in order to ensure a
comfortable amount of space for each vehicle. Additionally, roughly 30 feet of lane width
has been designed for in order to ensure safe vehicle maneuvering throughout the
entire garage.
All calculations involved in the design process are supported by accredited
engineering institutes and sources. All loading combinations taken into consideration
were based off LRFD and ASD equations. The building design is optimal for wind
loading through MWFRS Wind Loading Analysis (ASCE 7-10). Through the use of two
separate shear walls, all challenges associated with wind loadings were accounted for.
The structural framing plans was designed to incorporate a precast concrete design.

The design consisted of the following structural precast elements: Double Ts, L beams,
Inverted Ts. In addition to meeting structural design requirements, constructability was
factored heavily into the teams decisions in all DT and IT selections in order to ensure
that construction deadlines will be met on time, and the project runs smoothly.
Foundations were designed to support all loadings and concrete structural
members. For each column, both interior and exterior, the concrete footings are
designed to resist the necessary load. In order to account for the horizontal wind loads
on the garage (based on ASCE 7), the shear walls were positioned to utilize the stair
and elevator shafts. These two separate shear walls were designed to provide the
necessary support against the wind loads. Ultimately, both the 64 and 68 span DT
members were designed as 8DT32 sections. Both sets of Double Ts were found to
adequately support the loadings and passed all requirements. The inverted T Section
was designed with a 34IT52 section containing 44 strands. The shear wall was
designed for the bottom 15 and was specified as 16 thick. The wall itself is 45 tall to
enclose the stairwell and elevator shaft.
The process as a whole was a tremendous learning experience for all members
of the team. The opportunity to design this particular structure gave the team its first
opportunity to work on a parking garage project design process. Through use of
applications including AutoDesk Revit, the team effectively applied engineering
practices to produce a substantial final product. Challenges involved in being a threeperson team were overcome by time management practices and a high level of
communication within the group.

AJC Consulting prides itself on designing high quality, efficient and constructible
structures. While the firm is confident that the structural integrity of the parking garage is
beyond safe, it also feels it has created a relatively simple construction process. The
firm believes that all drawing specifications have been effectively communicated within
the report and drawing sections, and that the final product will meet and exceed owner
expectations. Overall, the general consensus of the team is that the process ran
smoothly, and AJC Consulting would be interested in working with the owner again on
future projects.

References

1. ASCE 7-05: Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, American Society
of Civil Engineers, Reston, VA, 2005.
2. ACI 318, Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete, American Concrete Institute,
latest edition.
3. PCI, Precast Prestressed Concrete Parking Structures: Recommended Practice for
Design and Construction, Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, Chicago, IL 60604, 1997.
4. PCI: Design Handbook, Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, 2010, Seventh Edition.