Design-Build Approach and Precast Solutions Deliver Big Efficiency to MD Parking Structure Project

LANCASTER, Pa., Dec. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Shockey Precast, a Metromont Company and PCI Mid-Atlantic Producer Member, is a manufacturer and provider of structural and architectural precast concrete. A regional leader in parking structures, data centers, design-build, and wall panel projects for 60 years, Shockey Precast has completed nearly 4,000 projects throughout the Mid-Atlantic.

One of the company's most recent projects – The 9800 Medical Center Drive (MCD) Parking Structure in Rockville, Maryland – shows the successful use of the design-assist approach, a construction method that is gaining popularity in the industry.

THE DESIGN-ASSIST APPROACH

In today's construction market, time is short, funding resources are limited or phased, and speed is essential to a successful project. Many projects lack the luxury of a process that includes lengthy design to 100% construction documents, bid/build/delivery, and value engineering methods.

To help bring projects to market faster and with more efficiency, owners continue to seek ways to streamline design and expedite the front-end of the construction process. When done right, a design-assist approach to a project can shorten production timelines, reduce budget costs, provide best total value, and identify potential design challenges before they become construction issues.

CREATING CONDITIONS FOR PROJECT SUCCESS

The design-assist approach to construction offers many benefits to both the owner and the general contractor. In an ideal design-assist scenario, the owner and/or owner's rep is actively engaged in the decision-making process, the team maintains open communication through consistent in-person meetings, and key milestones in the design process are met in a timely manner – enabling the construction schedule to flow with minimal delays. The result of this collaborative effort is a project that meets the financial, aesthetic, and functional needs of the owner and is completed on time and on budget.

THE 9800 MEDICAL CENTER DRIVE PARKING STRUCTURE

For 20 years, Shockey Precast has advocated the benefits of design-assist for precast structures. Their early engagement in the design process has enabled them to assist project teams in developing successful precast solutions.

While the design-assist approach has the potential to save time and budget for the multiple parties, the success of the approach all depends on the engagement, collaboration, and effectiveness of the project team to drive the design forward. The MDC project is a great example of all factors seamlessly coming together to create a successful design-assist outcome.

Owned by Alexandria Real Estate Equities, the MCD was originally envisioned as cast-in-place concrete. Shockey proposed a precast conversion in spring 2017 and was selected by The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company to be the precast design-assist partner based on Shockey's extensive design-assist experience and their long-standing relationship with Whiting-Turner. The Shockey in-house Engineering and Estimating resources also contributed to the project award.

From the project start, the owner and its representative, Verity Commercial, were actively involved in design meetings and Verity was empowered to make decisions for the owner. This level of engagement enabled the project design to move forward without significant delays.

Experience also plays a key role in design-assist, and the MCD project team brought extensive design-assist experience to the table. The team's understanding of design-assist and the collaboration needed to ensure a smooth flow from design to construction helped keep the project on track, even with challenges such as the structure's architectural façade.

PRECAST SOLUTIONS

The 6-level parking deck features 190,000 SF of precast double tees, architectural columns and spandrels, with the north elevation and stair tower featuring a thin-brick façade that matches the adjacent office building. Designed to blend with the surrounding architecture, this thin-brick façade was challenging because of the shapes and sizes required to achieve the architectural concepts.

Additionally, the exterior covering of the stair tower is glass framing, which meant less precast could be captured in the stability of the stair tower. The architect's design featured brick inside the glass stair tower, and the use of precast enabled this vision to be achieved.

Shockey manufactured the precast in two phases: the structural in the spring of 2018 and the architectural precast in the fall of 2018. Precast erection started in October 2018 and was completed in January 2019.

Throughout the project, weekly design meetings were attended by all members of the project team. Challenges were addressed and resolved in a timely manner without negatively impacting the overall project schedule.

PROJECT SCOPE

• Size: 189,481 SF of double tees
• Precast Erection Start: Oct 2018
• Precast Erection Completion: Jan 2019
• Cubic Yards: 5,630 CY
• Precast Components: 510 pieces

PROJECT TEAM

• Location: Rockville, MD
• Owner: Alexandria Real Estate Equities
• Owner's Rep: Verity Commercial
• Architect: Gaudreau
• General Contractor: The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
• Engineer: Kimley-Horn
• Precaster: Shockey Precast, a Metromont Company

ABOUT PCI MID-ATLANTIC
PCI Mid-Atlantic, a chapter of the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI), is a professional marketing organization committed to the growth and greater profitability of the Precast Industry in the Mid-Atlantic region. It is comprised of prestressed/precast producer member firms located throughout the Mid-Atlantic States, including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. PCI Mid-Atlantic also has over 50 associate member companies that produce a variety of concrete industry related products. For more information, visit http://www.pci-ma.org.

SOURCE PCI Mid-Atlantic