BY LOGAN WEBB

East Texas Precast third job for the Houston Methodist hospital system started earlier last week. Last year we completed two parking garages for Houston Methodist hospitals in The Woodlands and Sugarland.

This time we've moved to the Willowbrook area located just off the intersection of I-249 and FM 1960. Here the Houston Methodist Hospital system is looking to increase its capacity, but with limited area available for expansion due to the surrounding commercial and office areas their only option is to build up. That is why they have decided to go with a precast parking garage to expand.

Contracted by E.E. Reed, designed by PGAL, engineered by Walker Parking Consultants and CEG we...

BY LILAH STITES

Coloring concrete has long been an option for those who want to add an additional depth to their concrete parking project. But with advancements over time the number and variety of options available to an owner are numerous.

One of the most common and well known options is adding colored pigments to the concrete mix. This allows for a consistent and evenly distributed color throughout the concrete mix, and is easily replicated on later projects with a well documented mix design. Historically this has been done with colored oxide powders, but in more recent times liquid additives have been found that can allow for more customized color options.

The next option to consider is pai...

BY LILAH STITES

Concrete is known for its durability but without a maintenance plan, you will not be able to maximize the lifespan of your structure. In addition, consistent maintenance ensure that your parking structure is kept aesthetically appealing. Generally speaking, maintenance can be broken down into three separate types.

First is general housekeeping. The goal of general housekeeping is mainly to enhance user experience. A couple of high priority items are as follows:

General trash removal to maintain sanitation throughout the garage.

Maintaining any lighting fixtures that are present. This can really help improve users sense of security and the aesthetic beauty of your garage.

Re-painti...

BY LOGAN WEBB

Have you ever been in a parking structure where you could not find a parking spot, only to leave and find entire rows where no one has parked? This could be due to poor wayfinding or the ramping system used.

You should first consider whether you want one-way or two-way traffic in your ramping structure. Now in some circumstances this decision might be dictated by building footprint. If a building has a small, limited footprint available then you might be held to only using one-way traffic as you might not have the necessary space for a two-way system

Both one-way and two-way ramping systems have their advantages and disadvantages we encourage you to look at the below chart to see,...

BY LOGAN WEBB

Just like LEED building structures, there has been a movement to certify parking structures that make their parking environmentally friendly. When it comes to parking structures, the largest carbon footprint marker is what structural material the project is designed with. It is believed that concrete is a material that has a negative impact on sustainability.

To address this hypothesis, The Precast Concrete Institute (PCI) performed a full life-cycle assessment (LCA) on precast concrete and other similar structural systems, steel and cast-in-place concrete, to measure and compare the environmental impact of each building material. They found that despite most perceptions of preca...

BY LOGAN WEBB

When designing a parking structure, the first decision that needs to be made is what structural material will be selected. Structural material on most parking garages will represent 50% of your total budget. There are three primary options to consider: Cast-in-place (CIP) concrete, steel framed, and precast concrete. Each one of these building materials has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The first material you can consider is precast concrete. Almost all garages that can be constructed using precast concrete are currently precast because of its architectural versatility, reduced construction time, and managing risk on job sites.

Because precast concrete is produced off-site...

BY LOGAN WEBB

East Texas Precast is the leader in precast parking structures in Texas, but we get questions from all over the country about parking projects. We took some of our most commonly asked questions, and went to the experts for the real answers: Cesar Diaz, Noli Alarcon, and Chad Snyder (Bios below).

1. How does someone determine the number of parking spaces they need?

Cesar: Typically, this answer would come directly from the Owner who would, at that point; have a very good idea how much parking they would want at the very least. We would check this wish list item against local codes to assure that we are providing, at the very least; the minimum required parking for such building typ...

BY LOGAN WEBB

Did you know that roughly 30% of our cities lands are used up by parking? Parking is an essential need for almost any land development in America, and many places have requirements for parking that have to be met depending on what your building is. The video below by Vox describes how this process works and how it came about.

BY LILAH STITES

East Texas Precast is starting one of the tallest above ground parking structures in the United States. Located on the 94th block in Downtown Houston we are starting our newest 1151 piece, 13.5 level structural precast garage. This garage was contracted to use by Hoar Construction, designed by Gensler, and was engineered by Walter P. Moore.

The 94th block in Houston is in the heart of downtown. This parking garage is surrounded by hotels, apartments and restaurants. It is located directly across Rusk Street from the historic Texaco building, which is now The Star Apartments. It should really serve a vital role in facilitating parking needs for the Downtown Community of Houston....

BY LILAH STITES

This week East Texas Precast is glad to have finished an amazing parking garage for the Flower Mound community. This 333 piece, 3 bay garage was built for Riverwalk Medical Park in Flower Mound, Texas. The garage features a brilliant thin-brick exterior. This brick finish is a great example of precast concrete's versatility in design. As you can see in the photos below we are able to achieve the aesthetic beauty of brick in a parking garage, while also having the usual benefits of precast concrete like strength and production speed.

We hope that the over 450 parking spaces in the garage helps provide adequate parking for the surrounding medical facilities, and helps to improve...