The $15.5 million Hamilton County West End Garage is a five-level, 830-stall parking garage located next to the new TQL Stadium, home of Major League Soccer’s FC Cincinnati. THP was the prime designer, parking consultant, and structural engineer of record for the garage, which was designed to complement the aesthetic of the adjacent stadium. It is a long-span, post-tensioned, cast-in-place concrete frame structure on auger cast pile foundations.
The garage functions as the stadium’s primary parking structure, so vehicular and pedestrian capacity and flow were a priority during design. A dual ramp system and dual entry/exit locations were provided to ease vehicle congestion when entering and exiting the garage during stadium events. Pedestrian and bicycle pathways were separated from vehicular entry/exit locations to ensure safety for foot traffic. Post-tensioned barrier cables, glass stair enclosures, and sloped beams and rails were implemented to promote safety and a clean tailgating environment.
THP led the design team through a significant planning exercise to determine the garage footprint, location, and geometrics. Numerous site layouts and garage geometries were studied to establish an efficient parking layout while working with the surrounding stakeholders.