Kelly says a project like this would normally cover about 20 acres, but due to site constraints, they went vertical and designed an extra-strong parking structure with large ramps and 14-ft-tall floor plates to accommodate 45-ft to 60-ft-long buses. But this strategy was not without its challenge.

“You have the bus load versus the (traditional) car load and all the intricacies that go with it,” says Tchapadarian. “For example, a typical beam for a car garage usually has six to eight tendons in it for the post-tension cabling; we have some huge beams on this project that are four ft-wide and five ft-deep, with up to 46 tendons.”

As the first new maintenance and operation facility commissioned by Metro in more 27 years, the Division 13 will seek LEED Gold and employ numerous ">sustainable construction methods, including extensive natural ventilation, glare and heat gain reduction glazing, and the use of 460 kW capacity photovoltaic panels, integrated into the façade and the facility’s roof, which is projected to save thousands of dollars in energy costs per year.

Other green features include daylighting to all major work areas, a 275,000-gallon underground storm water retention tank, the use of local labor and materials, and a green roof atop the transportation building to reduce cooling costs, minimize storm water run-off and to mitigate urban heat island effects.

The project, which is funded through the FTA’s State of Good Repair Initiative, is scheduled to complete in summer 2014.

Project consultants include: MARRS – resident engineer; Nabih Youssef Associates – structural engineer; W2 Design and Huitt-Zollars –civil engineer; C&J Technical Solutions & Services, Inc. – electrical and mechanical engineers; Fuel Solutions – fueling; and Ambient Energy – LEED advisor.