Currently, model building codes do not require fire protection

for structural steel members in an open-deck parking

structure less than 75 ft in height as long as any point on any

parking tier is within 200 ft of an open side. It should be

noted that the height of a parking structure is measured to

the top of the deck for the top parking tier, not to the top of

any facades or parapet walls (this is based on the treatment

of the top tier as the "roof" of the parking structure with

parking allowed on the roof).

It is possible for a steel-framed parking structure to

exceed the 75-ft limitation based on the square footage of

each tier and the number of open sides, although parking

structures seldom attain this height for operational reasons.

Table 1-2 presents the parameters used in determining maximum

height and tier area under both the NFPA Building

Code and International Building Code. The prospective

owner of a parking structure should consult with the local

building code official to determine any local modifications

of the relevant code provisNo treatment of the introduction to structural design and

construction of steel-framed open-deck parking structures

is complete without a discussion of concrete deck systems.

In fact the structural designer, in concert with the project

owner and architect, should make the selection of the type

of deck system before consideration of the framing system.

The concrete deck or floor system is one of the two structural

sub-systems in a parking garage, and the one which

governs the performance, life expectancy and life-cycle

cost of the facility. The other sub-system is the structural

frame that supports that concrete deck, the steel beams,

girders and columns. As previously noted, there are several

basic concrete deck systems that have been used with

steel framing in parking garages:

• Cast-in-place, conventionally reinforced concrete on

stay-in-place galvanized metal deck forms (in areas

where road salts are not prevalent)

• Cast-in-place, post-tensioned concrete

• Precast, prestressed long-span double tees either pretopped

or site-topped

• Precast concrete forms with site-cast composite topping

Cracks, resistance to volumetric changes, poorly

designed or installed deck joints, freeze-thaw cycles and

chloride contamination in concrete decks have been the

major causes of deterioration of open-deck parking structures.

Chlorides become established within the deck when

de-icing salts combine with water and penetrate into the

cured concrete or through cracks and joints. This is usually

followed by corrosion and volumetric expansion of the concrete

reinforcing steel and destruction of the concrete.

Also, concrete decks in any climate can become distressed

when the concrete ingredients or additives themselves contain

excess chlorides or other contaminants. Chlorides that

leak through cracks or joints in the deck to structural steel

framing below can attack the steel and cause breakdown of

the coating system and subsequent corrosion.

It is estimated that 10 to 12 million tons of sodium and

calcium chloride are used annually during wintertime deicing

operations in the United States. Approximately twothirds

of the land area in the U.S. is subject to freezing

temperatures during winter on a regular basis. The corrosion

of concrete reinforcing steel due to chloride contamination

from road salts began to be widely recognized byions.