University of Maryland

The University of Maryland need a parking garage that could accommodate the 35,000 students and staff members on campus all while cohesively blending in with the historic campus. To match the surrounding buildings, many of which were built in 1856, the garage was given independent, load bearing wall panels. The use of these independent panels allowed for field applied granite and intricate brick. The facade would give the garage the appearance of a "building" rather than an ordinary garage.

Internally, the garage used typical precast components such as double tees, beams, and columns. Once complete, the garage occupied five acres at approximately 520,000 square feet. The five level structure provided 1700 covered parking spaces for students and staff. 

In addition to the structure CEG also provided services for the campus such as developed specifications for parking revenue control equipment, prepared a complete wayfinding package, and specifications for staff operation stations. The fully automatic revenue control system included an automatic ticket retraction. This more accurately counted the number of cars in the garage, including those that "backed-out" of using the garage. Magnetic strip technology used wayfinder to correctly indicate where staff assigned parking was located. Four insulated, bullet resistant, electricity equipped, architecturally cohesive cashier booths were located at the exit to prevent any parking issues from arising. 

Using the latest signs for revenue control, space counts, and more Consulting Engineers Group guaranteed a pleasant parking experience for University patrons.