Curved Precast Ramp Adds Elegance and Function to Aventura Parking Structure

Designers of the Aventura Mall in Aventura, Florida, devised a precast concrete design to ensure a new six-levei parking structure would be complete in time for the opening of a new retail store in the shopping center. The facility has space for more than 2500 cars. A major feature of the structure is the exterior express ramp that hugs the facilityʹs curving facade. This facilitated the addition of parking spaces beneath the ramp on several levels. The parking structure utilized a large variety of precast components including pretopped and field topped double tees, beams, columns, and spandrels, together with light wall panels and shear walls to maximize its openness. The design-build project was finished in seven months at a cost of $13.2 million - one month earlier and more than $2 million below the ownerʹs estimate for a cast-in-place structure.