WallyPark parking garage

Location: SeaTac

Owner/developer: L&R Group of Companies

Project team: PCL Construction Services, general contractor; Bomel Construction Co., concrete contractor; International Parking Design, architect; Culp & Tanner, structural engineer; Miles Sand & Gravel Co., ready-mix supplier

Los Angeles-based L&R Group of Companies opened WallyPark, a 1,500-stall parking structure near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, last November.

The cast-in-place, post-tensioned moment-frame structure was built using more than 22,000 cubic yards of concrete.

The moment-frame design allowed the open-air structure to be built without shear walls, giving users an unobstructed view from all corners of the garage. The moment frame was composed of upturned post-tensioned beams that doubled as crash walls.

The exterior is covered with a curtain wall, metal panels, colored glass and stucco towers. The ground floor contains more than 20,000 square feet of retail.

A natural drainage system surrounds the structure, weaving through a saw-cut grid of concrete paving with a sandblasted finish. At the parking entrance is a tiered concrete fountain decorated with glass tile, accent lights and coordinating jets.

Hidden beneath the garage are two cast-in-place stormwater detention vaults with a capacity of more than 78,000 cubic feet each.

Constructability and schedule factored into the garage design, which was tailored for use with a Cunningham forming system. The system allowed for durable forming surfaces, shorter schedule durations and fewer patching necessities.

The SeaTac WallyPark design now serves as a model for future garages. The WallyPark chain provides off-airport parking in seven cities around the country.