Guide for the Design and Construction of Durable Concrete Parking Structures (ACI 362.1R-12)

Description

This guide addresses the design and construction of durable concrete parking structures. Parking structures are different from other concrete buildings due to their:a) Reduced roofing, cladding, and climate control that result in a more severe direct or indirect exposure to rain, snow, sunlight, temperature variations, and airborne chloridesb) Vehicular occupancy that imposes heavy moving loads and deposits deicing saltsc) Ramps between floors for vehicular circulation and enhanced drainage that present unique structural challengesd) Large plan size that magnifies the potential for damage caused by restraint of movements and forces associated with volumetric changesAll are factors that influence the durability of parking structures and require consideration in their design. Main-tenance of parking structures is essential to durability and longevity. For more information, refer to ACI 362.2R-00.

The purpose of this guide is to provide specific informa-tion on several of the design aspects and the construction of parking structures that differentiates them from other concrete structures. This guide should be used with ACI 318-11, ACI specifications, and ACI standards.Environmental conditions of the geographic location of a parking structure determine the governing criteria used in this guide. Environmental conditions include structure proximity to sea water and frequency of exposure to direct and indirect applications of deicing salts and freezing temperatures. Once the appropriate environmental conditions are determined, this guide provides the necessary durability criteria for parking structure design and construction. Parking structures inte-grally constructed with surrounding earth-retaining walls or other restraining structures require additional analysis of the restraining forces and lateral soil loads.