UNC Chapel Hill Craige Expansion

The complex vertical expansion of the 1,475-space Craige Parking Deck at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill added four levels of parking. The 926 new spaces were a particular accomplishment – the structure was never designed for vertical expansion. As a crucial parking location for the university’s residents, health affairs personnel, commuters, and special event attendees, the garage had to remain open throughout the two-year construction period, and a maximum of only 400 parking spaces could be removed from service at a time.

Significant upgrades to the existing structure accommodated the additional load while bringing it into compliance with current seismic design standards. The variety of engineering retrofit technologies employed throughout included column strengthening, foundation underpinning, seismic lateral bracing, comprehensive concrete restoration, and new waterproofing systems.

In addition to serving as the structural engineer, restoration engineer, and parking designer, we helped prepare the comprehensive phasing plan, with evolving traffic circulation, that enabled the garage to remain open throughout the expansion.