Designed for the Modern Age
The Metropolitan Council needed to modernize its Twin Cities-based bus fleet infrastructure, which included an updated garage facility with enhanced capabilities like EV charging for their electric buses. The space was originally designed as cast-in-place concrete with a steel roof, but, in collaboration with Wells, the design team converted it to a total precast design for better constructability due to the poor job site soil, extensive building footprint, cost, and schedule.
The facility needed to accommodate parking for a fleet of electric buses as well as employee cars. To address this, the design allocated the upper level for bus parking while providing open parking for cars underneath. Since the lower-level parking was open-air, the double tees that make up the lower level’s roof incorporated insulation on top, sandwiched by another concrete floor above, creating a fully insulated upper floor. The double tees were shorter in length than traditional double tees to support the immense weight of the thick flooring and the loads above, spanning 34 ft.
