| This four-story ambulatory care center and one-story parking structure attaches to
an existing hospital via a 400' long elevated pedestrian bridge which spans a major
thoroughfare. A "connecting structure" links the parking facility to the
ambulatory care center and houses a stairway and elevators. Capability to expand the care
center by two floors, and the parking structure and connecting element by four additional
levels, were designed into the project. 
A distinguishing architectural feature
is the utilization of an exterior serpentine glass block wall at the main entranceway to
the building. It was necessary for the conventionally reinforced beams supporting that
wall to comply with its serpentine shape. The reinforcing steel in the concrete beams were
bent to conform to the profile of that curvilinear concrete beam. Other interesting
elements using the inherent flexibility of the concrete design included:
• 12' cantilever beams extending from
shear walls at the connecting structure, fan out to support a semi-circular facade faced
in precast concrete.
• The roof design at the exterior
stair for the parking structure was created with a singular column supporting both the
concrete stairway and the pseudo-parabolic, conventionally reinforced slab structure
forming the roof above.
• A major girder spanning to an
exposed column at the entranceway was reduced in depth as it emerged from the building, to
maintain an aesthetic proportion with the column.
Structural framing of the care center
consists of conventionally reinforced concrete skip joists (rib depth 20"/slab depth
4.75") spanning 37'-6" framing into conventionally reinforced concrete beams.
The structure is designed for 110 mile per hour wind loading. Parking structure framing
consists of one-way slab spanning 25' into 60' post-tensioned beams.
Reinforced concrete was chosen for its
economy. In a decision between a steel framing system and a concrete skip joist system,
the reinforced concrete skip joist option afforded longer, more economical spans and
reduced the number of columns. Maintenance and durability of the parking structure, and
wind load resistance at stairs and elevators in the "connector building" led to
the use of a conventionally reinforced building system. |
