Parking Garage- Award of Merit

Kennedy Krieger Institute
Baltimore, Md.

Each year, Baltimore's Kennedy Krieger Institute's world-renowned treatment, education and research programs help more than 11,000 children and adolescents born with pediatric developmental disabilities.

As the demand for the institute's services has grown, so has the need for additional facilities. The institute has prepared a multiphase building strategy that will add new outpatient and inpatient hospitals, an MRI lab and office space.

Given the limited availability of parking in the crowded East Baltimore neighborhood, however, the institute first needed to construct a multistory parking structure to accommodate the additional staff and patients who would use the planned new facilities.

Time was of the essence. The seven-story 364,532-sq.-ft., single-helix garage had to be completed within 15 months in order for the institute to fulfill its commitment to provide additional parking for nearby Johns Hopkins University.

The project was in the contract bid/award phase when a tempting opportunity to save both time and money came to light. General contractor/construction manager Whiting-Turner of Towson, Md., learned that its precast supplier had already fabricated 460 61-ft., 7-in. by 12-ft. double-tees for another project that had been canceled.

Though slightly shorter than the original specifications for the institute's parking garage, the existing double-tees could be adapted to project with minor design modifications.

With the institute's approval, architect Richter, Cornbrooks Gribble Inc. of Baltimore, Md., reduced the size of the parking bays by 1.5 ft., preserving the facility's capacity and safety. Along with making the available double-tees suitable for use in the garage, the modifications reduced the project's overall cost by $300,000.

Construction began in March 2003 with the demolition of more than a dozen abandoned row homes and apartments to create a 3.05-acre site for the garage's 52,000-sq.-ft. footprint, temporary parking and construction staging areas. Underlying the site was a mix of sand and clay, requiring the drilling of more than 360 auger-cast piles to support the garage.

Construction proceeded through the winter of 2003-04, with excessive moisture and high-winds complicating erection of the structure's precast concrete panels. The project team also implemented numerous last-minute design changes to help the institute better manage the garage's operations, including the addition of doorways in several precast panels, upgraded lighting and electrical wiring, and new wayfinding signage.

Despite the design, time and weather problems, the Kennedy Krieger Institute's new parking garage was completed on schedule in early June. The project had a remarkable record of no injuries, due in large part to rigorous daily safety inspections and Whiting-Turner's ongoing internal program of safety and quality incentives.

One judge said that the project could not have achieved a better outcome. Given all the constraints, changes and opportunities, "the owner saved money and the project came in on time," the judge said. "That's teamwork."

Return to Categories List