One of Albany, New York’s most prominent institutions, The Albany Medical Center, sits on a hill overlooking the city. The long-established hospital demanded that the new parking garage reflect the high quality of services offered within. The impressive structure features clean lines, a unique architectural finish and attention to details.
Size and siting distinguish the seven-level structure, which provides 1,250 parking spaces and a direct-access bridge to the medical center. One of the challenges put to Unistress was to match, in precast concrete, the color of brick used on the hospital facade. Unistress met this challenge by using an unique combination of natural aggregates and an orange pigment in the concrete mix. Exposed concrete wall panels in the elevator lobby continued the exterior facade color to the interior of the tower. The result was a close and consistent color match that won an ACI award for "Excellence in Conception, Originality and Applicability of Concrete."
A demanding twelve-month construction schedule fueled the choice of precast concrete. Offsite manufacture of precast components proceeded as the deep foundation system was installed. The poured concrete caisson foundation system was selected to avoid any problems with noise and vibration related to pile systems. Extensive security systems and perimeter fencing were installed to assure pedestrian safety.
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