For Immediate Release
11/2/1998
Irvine, Calif. architect Gary L. Bastien, AIA was recently awarded the American Concrete Institute's Excellence In Concrete Award for his design of the CBS Studio Center Parking Structure.
Built by contractor ARB, Inc., the design is unique for its innovative use of concrete and Flexi-Rock smooth-finish plaster to achieve an office-building look that has been praised by residents, CBS executives, and visitors to the structure. The design was developed as a result of town-hall meetings with neighbors who were concerned about the appearance and traffic associated with putting a parking structure on their residential street.
The solution involved using a concrete moment-frame rather than a shear wall on the street façade. This provided greater freedom to allow openings in the frame where desired, and close them with stud-framed Flexi-Rock at other locations.
The marriage of the Flexi-Rock with the rest of the poured-in-place concrete structure called for careful treatment of expansion joints, slip-tracks to allow deflection and lateral movement, and heavily articulated reveal patterns to hide the transition from concrete to plaster.
Aluminum mullions with tinted glass were then installed in the moment frame, protecting residents from the glare of headlights at night, and giving the structure the feel of an office building. Special attention had to again be given to this detailing so that the glass storefront system would absorb structural movement without cracking the glass.
The project was designed by Bastien and Associates, Inc. with structural engineering by Culp and Tanner. The general contractor was ARB, Inc. Constructors.
The garage is seven levels including a partial basement and six above-grade levels. It is approximately 413,000 s.f. and accommodates 1260 cars. Efficiency was largely driven by unique client requirements including a four-lane entry ramp without parking stalls and an open plaza circulation area for the large studio audiences that will park in the structure.
The basement and the first five levels were designed to be built first with the last level as an optional later addition. CBS decided near the end of construction to complete the full build-out in one phase. The building was completed in April, 1997.
Bastien and Associates, Inc. has previously designed concrete tilt-up sound stages and production support offices for CBS Studio Center (now used for the filming of Caroline in the City) as well as other production support facilities on the lot.
An 8,600 s.f. production support building designed by BAI (and built by ARB, Inc.) is now complete as well, with other projects slated to start in early 1999.