Ease and speed of construction; durability and maintenance needs; floor-to-floor and building height; vehicle capacity and maneuverability; aesthetics; user safety and access; lighting, way-signing and plumbing integration; and more must be considered in the design process.
Versatile and durable, long-span composite decking is an ideal solution for multi-story parking garage design. Both dovetail long-span composite deck and deep-ribbed long-span composite deck offer benefits over other options.
Versa-Dek® Composite (shown) and Deep-Dek® Composite fit into any support structure: column-supported steel, concrete or composite beam framework.
Although precast concrete is a popular choice for parking garages, lighter-weight long-span composite deck’s combination of steel and concrete offers many advantages.
The composite deck serves as stay-in-place formwork during the construction phase while giving the slab tension strength over its service life. The slabs can be integrated with a wide range of structural framing and be erected quickly and efficiently, in all kinds of weather conditions.
Long-span composite deck results in reduced overall story and facility height thanks to a thin-slab floor design that uses up to 40 percent less concrete than traditionally poured-in-place concrete floors.
Composite decking’s strength and rigidity provide design flexibility: Thin-slab floors optimize floor-to-floor and overall building height; clear spans can reach up to 36 feet; mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) services are integrated efficiently; and weight-bearing walls or structures can be placed at optimized spans that can facilitate up to 4-stall widths. The result is budget-friendly and visually appealing, with clean sightlines, a more open atmosphere and reflective coating options that brighten the structure.
New Millennium offers two composite slab solutions appropriate for parking garage design in temperate climates where use of de-icing salts is less common: Versa-Dek® Composite and Deep-Dek® Composite floor systems. They share a core of similar benefits, but each also has its own attractive features.
Long-span composite deck can lead to parking garages that are open, bright and have clean sightlines
Long-span composite deck allows weight-bearing walls or structures to be placed at spans that can facilitate up to 4-stall widths.
Both floor systems can be paired with a wide range of structural beams and feature a low profile that reduces floor-to-floor and overall structure height. Versa-Dek® Composite 3.5LS provides the thinnest total composite floor depth available. Clear spans up to 36 feet can be achieved with Deep-Dek® Composite (27 feet with Versa-Dek®). Deep-Dek® is one of the longest open-span composite floor systems available. Unprotected fire endurance ratings up to 4 hours are attainable with both systems. Plus, both use up to 40 percent less concrete than traditionally poured-in-place concrete floors.
For parking garages placed in more severe environments where de-icing salts are commonly used, contact New Millennium for non-composite, stay-in-place form deck solutions.
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