UCSD Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood

Walter P Moore had to reconfigure site circulation and parking to promote pedestrian and micro-mobility corridors, provide effective drop-off points, and ensure easy access to on-campus parking.

The design needed to replace 800 above-ground parking spaces with an underground structure that accommodates approximately 1,200 parking spaces.

The engineers had to account for concrete shrinkage and future maintenance costs while also managing congestion across floor plates when designing the project’s structural systems.

The development’s five buildings needed enclosures that could withstand wind and seismic loads while managing ventilation requirements and water infiltration. 

Vehicular crossings were limited to connect the development to the main campus via micro-mobility and pedestrian paths. The addition of new bike lanes, quicker access to drop-off points and parking, as well as a pair of split-level parking ramps, helped to smoothen traffic flow.

A subterranean four-level parking structure connected to only three of the towers was designed instead of a costlier two-and-a-half-level garage beneath all five towers. Structural columns were extended in three towers throughout their full heights to eliminate transfer beams and girders. 

Developing a high-fidelity LOD 350 model allowed for the post-tensioned floor slabs to be designed  as thin as possible while accurately packing rebar, utilities, and conduits. Advanced temperature analysis and checkerboard concrete pour sequences also mitigated potential concrete shrinkage.

Concrete shear walls were used for lateral forces, and the design team coordinated with the architects to preserve ventilation and waterproof the modular prefabricated facade system. Additionally, the concrete sequencing and post-tensioning allowed for most of the concrete to be left exposed.

The focus on pedestrian movement and micro- mobility paired with amenities such as shuttles, buses, ride-shares, and EV charging stations, enhances user experiences while also easing congestion and improving access to parking. 

The design solutions eliminated the need for expansion joints and other functional compromises in the parking garage, allowing for minimal cracking and lower long-term maintenance costs with the parking decks. 

The use of digital workflows helped to track concrete and reinforcement quantities, allowing for more competitive construction bids and parking design solutions which reduced costs by nearly $55 million.

The exposed concrete finishes throughout the project complement the prevalence of other noteworthy exposed concrete buildings in the UCSD campus while also reducing construction costs and embodied carbon.