Addressing Parking Garage Vibrations for the Design of Research and Healthcare Facilities

摘要

The urban setting of many research and healthcare facilities often results in challenging stacking arrangements that require unique solutions to vibration control issues. A condition for which design guidance is limited is the multi-level parking garage that stacks above or below vibration-critical spaces. This situation is becoming increasingly common in urban areas where the cost of land imposes small building footprints, and owners must build 'up' rather than 'out'. Design solutions often include appropriate separation between vibration-critical spaces and parking areas and/or de-tuning of stacked floor structures to limit the efficiency of vibration transmission. However, these solutions are not universally applicable and in some cases, alternative approaches to vibration control must be developed. In this paper we discuss approaches to addressing vibrations from parking garages during the design of vibration-sensitive facilities. A case study is presented involving a Medical Office Building that features multi-level parking stacked above an ambulatory surgical clinic located on the ground floor. Concerns included noise and vibration disturbance to patients and staff, as well as potential disruptions to overhead equipment in Operating Rooms (ORs). Numerical reviews early in design were complemented with measurements of vehicle vibrations during construction. The results from the measurements and modeling were used for the development of secondary structural support systems to limit vibration disturbances in the surgical clinic.