Project Overview
The nation’s first on-site integrated car-rental and quick-turnaround (QTA) operations facility, the new airport parking structure at Mineta San José International Airport in San José, CA, features a precast concrete structural system that shaved more than five months from the construction schedule. The facility combines an eight-story, 3000-car rental-car parking area and a four-story QTA area that includes refueling stations and car washes. The combination allows rental cars to be located within walking distance of the terminals.
The 1.8 million ft2 (170,000 m2) structure is nearly twice the size of the state’s previous largest precast concrete parking structure. The facility contains 3817 precast concrete components, consisting of double tees, L-beams, inverted-tee beams, transfer girders, rectangular collector beams, columns, and spandrels.
Precast Solution
To match the curved shape of the structure’s north end, both the shear walls and double tees in that area were curved, with the tees cast in pie-shaped wedges.
Precast concrete spandrels serve as car-impact shields as well as a base skin for metal mesh and artwork murals. Façade features were still being decided by the city while the project was being erected, so blockouts were provided in the precast concrete to allow final materials to be erected later.
Providing the fuel and water requirements for the QTA portion created key challenges. Wash and rinse water was supplied in multiple 2000 gal. (7600 l) tanks on each level, including a reverse-osmosis system for spot-free finishing. To provide moisture resistance, a 3 1/2-in. (90 mm) topping was applied to the top of the double-tee, followed by a hot-asphaltic waterproofing layer and another 4-in (100 mm) concrete topping. The fueling tanks are secured at grade level, with fuel delivered to pumps on each level via pressurized pipes.
The precast concrete design was the key to reducing first costs and construction time, providing seismic resistance, providing a flexible design to enable post-applied architectural treatments, and easing congestion on the construction site. |