Hybrid garage

Opelousas, La., hospital relies on diverse concrete applications

By Karla Wall

The Lemoine Co. LLC of Lafayette, La., recently completed construction of a five-story hybrid concrete parking garage for Opelousas General Hospital in Opelousas, La. Work started on the project in August.

The garage is part of an expansion project that includes a six-story hospital tower, which will house a new ER/Trauma admitting area, a cardiovascular suite, two physician's suites, and a critical-care unit. Work on the project was completed in mid-May.

The garage, situated on a 240- by 124-ft. footprint, is built on roughly 200 4,000-psi auger-cast concrete piles sunk to depths of 55 to 70 ft., said Tim Burdette, project manager with Lemoine. The piles are 16 in. diameter and are reinforced with steel bars tied into pile caps.

The pile caps cover anywhere from one to six piles, Burdette added.

The 24,000-sq.-ft. foundation deck is reinforced with 150 tons of steel reinforcement, said Scott Anderson of Keystone/Stewart in Houston, which did the foundation work for the garage. Roughly 2,000 cu. yds. of 3,000-psi poured-in-place concrete was used for the foundation, Anderson said.

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The ramp leading up to the first parking level is constructed of 4,000-psi cast-in-place concrete. Fill dirt was brought in for the ramp foundation and was shored up with steel panels.

The elevated decks were constructed of roughly 2,800 cu. yds. of 5,000-psi poured-in-place concrete, said James Sweetin of Tulsa (Okla.) Dinastan, subcontractors for the parking garage construction. He added that 4,700 cu. yds. of 5,000-psi precast was used for columns, girders and beams.

Columns are roughly 2 by 2 ft., said Burdette. Upper decks are reinforced with post-tensioned slabs, and the precast columns, girders and beams are pre-stressed.

Two stairwells leading from the first through fifth floors are situated at the east and west ends of the garage. The stairwells consist of steel pan stairs infilled with 3,000-psi concrete. A hydraulic elevator is located at the west end of the garage. The elevator shaft is constructed of 8-in. concrete masonry unit blocks.

A 30- to 40-ft. connecting bridge between the garage and the new hospital tower is situated on the first floor. The bridge is constructed of 3,000-psi poured-in-place concrete and built on slab-on-grade.

Weather delays were a problem on the site, Sweetin said. Work was delayed roughly two weeks due to rain. There was also a mid-stream change of scope which required the addition of a sixth floor to the tower.

"The fifth floor was to be built with the possible addition of a sixth floor in mind," Burdette said. "They decided to go ahead and add the sixth floor, and we had to truncate the schedule somewhat to accommodate the change. We also had to make sure the elevator construction was completed in order to carry materials up for the sixth floor construction."

Poured-in-place concrete was supplied by Angelle Concrete of Lake Charles, La., Keystone Concrete/Stewart Builders of Houston, and Cajun Constructors of Baton Rouge, La. Precast was supplied and installed by Tulsa Dinastan.