Located in the north section of Philadelphia, in a high-traffic area between an operating medical facility and a residential neighborhood, Temple University Health System’s Ontario Street Parking Structure offered numerous construction challenges, including limited site access, a small project footprint, and a fast-track construction schedule. Additionally, framing had to be completed around an existing speed ramp that needed to remain open throughout the project as it provided access to the hospital morgue and for outside deliveries to the hospital.
Shockey’s business development manager worked closely with general contractor Shoemaker Construction during the early design development phase of the project, providing budgets and design considerations to help guide the architect, Tim Haahs & Associates, toward selection of a precast design. The hospital’s existing cast-in-place garage was in overall poor condition, and this factor also contributed to THA’s preference for a precast design for the replacement garage. THA performed an analysis of both the precast and cast-in-place designs, and ultimately determined that only precast construction would allow for the speed ramp to remain open throughout erection of the structure.
The Shockey Precast Group manufactured and transported a total of 576 pieces of precast, including 140,000 SF of double tees for the five-level parking structure. Due to the limited site access, Shockey leased a drop lot from Amtrak five blocks from the construction site. Shockey coordinated the precast erection, which was performed by union labor and required the use of a 440-ton crane set 20 feet below grade level to erect six of the nine bays. The crane was brought into the site using the speed ramp, and was lifted up from the hole by another crane upon completion of the first six bays. The remaining bays were erected using a hydraulic crane from the street outside the construction site. Precast erection began in October 2014 and was completed in December 2014. The parking structure, which features an architectural façade designed to replicate DNA strands, provides 1,500 new parking spaces for Temple University Health System patrons.
Project: Temple University Health System Ontario Street Parking Structure
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Owner: Temple University
Architect: Array Architects
Engineer: Timothy Haahs & Associates, Inc.
General Contractor: Shoemaker Construction Company
Precaster: The Shockey Precast Group
