Broward College/Florida Atlantic University Parking Garage Design Criteria Package

PGAL provided the design criteria and bridging documents for a 1,300-car parking garage for Broward College and Florida Atlantic University.

Services included preparation of the site plan as well as schematic and design development drawings. PGAL also provided the technical specifications and performance data that served as the basis for the design-build competitive selection process.

Located on the west side of the central campus along College Avenue, the 10-acre site serves as the signature entry into the campus. It also provides ample land area for future campus growth, easy access for commuter students, and a resolution for existing drainage issues.

The four-level structure features a compatible palette of materials including red patterned brick, white precast banding, and trim with punched openings for emphasis over the arched portico entry points. Punched openings are also repeated on a 185-foot screen wall. The screen wall is elevated above the ground plane and skewed 20 degrees from the parking deck to maximize fresh air quality and creatively mask standard functions of the garage’s ramping system. Easy access is provided from 30th Street, and secondary access is available from the internal campus loop.

The design also includes reconfiguration and revitalization of the existing entrance roadway, perimeter, and interior loop road. Improvements were made to surface parking, drainage, landscape and hardscape elements, irrigation, and retention areas, which were innovatively located under the new garage.

The 383,000-square-foot garage includes vertical circulation that slopes from floor to floor. Designed for maximum parking utilization, the garage includes ramps that allow vehicles to ascend or descend two levels in a complete 360-degree striping with universal stalls.

A long-span structural system places support columns at the front of the parking spaces, creating construction cost efficiencies and an efficient parking plan. Color-coded graphic wayfinding is providing from floor to floor and at major access and exit points. Glass-backed elevators, open stair towers, and active and passive system design provide heightened garage security.