As part of the Cain Hall site redevelopment project, Texas A&M University needed a garage to expeditiously serve the massive influx of vehicles to the campus on home football game days, plus serve the adjacent new Hotel & Conference Center. The university used a public-private partnership to fund and deliver the project. Stonehenge/Gilbane Development and Huitt-Zollars led the design and selected Ensight Haynes Whaley (EHW) as engineer of record for the overall redevelopment and structural design.

​

Huitt-Zollars implemented a hyper-track schedule in order to meet the 10-month project timeline, with garage capable of being occupied in time for the first Aggie home football game. Beyond the schedule, the 1,400-car garage was designed with Class A finishes and advanced parking technologies that would allow university Transportation Services to monitor and service the garage. All four corners of the garage have stair towers enclosed by glass and the elevators have glass cabs to allow 24/7 visual surveillance.

 

Prior to erecting the structural system, EHW coordinated demolition of the existing Cain Hall with Gilbane; the footings of the old building were left in place for cost savings and footings for the new garage were located to miss them. EHW also oversaw the demolition and capping of the existing utility tunnel system.

 

EHW designed the cast-in-place structure with higher floor-to-floor clearances to allow for oversize vehicles and with multiple girder penetrations for easy integration of the parking guidance system. The stair towers were constructed of steel framing allowing for integral custom canopies at the entrances. EHW also designed a custom steel entry canopy to match the canopy they designed for the hotel. Commitment to close coordination and frequent communication from the full team allowed the project to open on time.