by Jonathan Spiker, PE

Hubbard Park Place, a mixed-use development in the Short North, is in the final stage of construction as it prepares to open this summer. The development features 101 apartments, 12,000 sq. ft. of office space, 145 underground parking spaces and a magnificent rooftop pool. Victorian elements characterize the buildings and reflect the aesthetic of the neighborhood.

The tower portion of the development includes five levels of residential units over one level of office space, which is over two levels of parking. An 8,000 sq. ft. second-floor courtyard sits in the center of the site separating the tower from two, four-story residential buildings sitting over one level of parking.

At first this project sounds like any other mixed-use project, but what made it particularly challenging, from a structural perspective, is that design requirements called for a low-rise building, with a 75’ maximum height. This was also important in controlling cost. The first step in meeting the height restriction was to minimize the structure depth to allow 10’-4” floor-to-floor heights while maintain 9’-0” ceilings on the residential floors, with the office level having similar constraints.

Because of the tower’s mixed-use program, it was anticipated that multiple transfer levels would be required. However, the tight floor-to-floor requirements didn’t allow for the extra structure depth the transfers would require. Consequently, in close coordination with architect, Schooley Caldwell & Associates, Inc., we developed an irregular column grid that worked for all three uses: parking, office space, and residential units.

The final column layout for the tower resulted in a wide range of spans, including multiple expanses that exceed 30 feet. While it was challenging to maintain the minimum individual floor depth, the ability to avoid transfer levels in the tower compensated for the irregular grid layout.

For the two shorter residential buildings, where height was not as critical, varying floor plate layouts dictated the use of multiple transfer levels. This also allowed for an optimum parking layout under this area.

The final challenge in addressing the building height requirement was the design of a five-foot-deep pool on the rooftop plaza. Several design constraints increased the challenge, including maintaining the top of the pool flush with the plaza floor, and providing multiple levels of structure under the pool to satisfy strict waterproofing requirements. Because the residential units directly below the pool will derive the highest rent in the property, various design options were investigated to find a waterproofing solution.

Height constraints and the need for multiple system types, including wood, steel, masonry, conventional concrete and post-tensioned concrete made for an interesting project – one that we’re excited to see complete and become a vibrant part of the Short North landscape.

For more information on the building, please see: https://woodcompanies.com/hubbard-park-place/.

Project Team
Owner: The Wood Companies/Schiff Capital Group
Architect: Schooley Caldwell & Associates, Inc.
Construction Manager: Dugan & Meyers Construction