Dutton Avenue Offices and Parking Facility

Architect: Carl Walker Inc., Dallas

Structural Engineer: Carl Walker Inc., Dallas

Parking Consultant: Carl Walker Inc., Dallas

Engineer: Meridian Precast & Granite Inc., Waco

Owner: City of Aurora, Aurora, Colo.

Design/Build Contractor: McCarthy Building Companies Inc., Addison, Texas

Precaster: Meridian Precast & Granite Inc., Waco

Three-In-One Design
The Dutton Avenue Office and Parking Facility at Baylor University is actually three different facilities, notes J. Blake Hodge, senior project manager for Carl Walker Inc.’s Dallas office, which served as architect, structural engineer and parking consultant. It features a university office with a data/computer center, a restaurant block and a parking structure. The building is the newest addition to the oldest higher institution of learning in Texas, established in 1845. Residence halls are being constructed directly east of the structure and academic buildings are within walking distance, necessitating more parking in the area.

The façade combines cast-stone elements, split-faced block and architectural precast concrete panels with field-laid brick. In addition, to complement the Baylor campus architecture, the north and west façades reflect the Georgian character of the campus. To achieve this, tall towers housing precast stairways are capped with steep-hipped roofs featuring round-windowed dormers. These in turn are topped with elaborate steeples fabricated from aluminum. Shorter windowed towers are supported by outside corners. On two walls, window openings are framed with stone arches, keystones, sills and spandrels.

These two façades feature vertical precast concrete panels with the window openings cast in, says Hodge. The other two walls are more similar to the look of traditional precast parking structures. They also are clad in brick, cast elements and have decorative hip roofs.

The four-story structure includes double-tees, I-beams, L-beams, walls, columns, load- and non-load bearing spandrels, 58 ramps and shear-wall elements and 64 stairs and landing pieces. The components were supplied by Meridian Precast & Granite Inc. of Waco, Texas. Glass accents in the precast concrete stair towers provide an excellent view of the surrounding campus while admitting natural light.

Full Article Download

Universities Exploit Precast
For Mixed-Use Projects
AS-04SU-3.pdf - 666.6 KB PDF FILE