Milestone notes progress on first parking deck
In April, the final piece of precast concrete was set into place on Virginia Tech's new parking garage located in the former Perry Street lot, marking a significant milestone towards the completion of the 1,300-parking-space, $26 million project.
Approximately 700 pieces precast concrete went into the project, which began in the fall of 2009. It is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.
Now that the structural form of the garage is complete, Hokie Stone is being laid on the exterior. Work to install the structural steel for the glass-enclosed stairwells has also begun. Concrete has also been poured inside providing a glimpse of what the interior of the final product will look like.
The structure has been planned and designed in preparation for future buildings that will be constructed where surface lots are currently located. Additional spaces gained from the deck will balance out the future loss of surface lots and will allow the university to maintain the space-to-population ratio.
Sustainability factors will be an integral part of the final structure. The maximum utilization of natural light and a well-distributed lighting system will be included in the structure. The design also accommodates storm water management so that post-development runoff does not exceed pre-development levels.
Rentenbach Constructors, the general contractor for the project, noted that crews had worked to keep the construction on pace during a particularly difficult winter which helped to keep costs down for the university as well as preventing the need to extend the construction.
