In fall 2024, the College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM) within Sam Houston State University completed a 30,467-m² (328,000-sf) parking garage that accentuates the college’s presence in Conroe, Tex., about 64 km (40 miles) north of Houston. The five-level garage offers 983 parking spaces in a highly visible structure that acts as a billboard for those traveling on Interstate 45.

The structure provides additional parking for COM’s students, faculty, and staff, as well as parking for a four-story health profession building currently under construction. Designed with end users in mind, the facility boasts multiple features, including lighting, that were selected for their ability to improve the experience for garage patrons.

Stabilizing the structure

The project is located on sandy soils once occupied by the West Fork of the San Jacinto River. While sand is an effective natural solution for stormwater runoff, the construction team had to employ a ground improvement system. The piers were installed 3 to 3.6 m (10 to 12 ft) beneath the surface to stabilize the structure in the sandy terrain. This enhanced the soil strength by compacting the aggregate tightly within the piers, thereby reducing settlement and improving support for the structure. The process involved drilling deep holes into the ground and filling them with layers of aggregate material. Each layer was meticulously compacted using a specialized ramming tool, resulting in a dense and stable column that could support the garage’s weight. This technique not only improved the load-bearing capacity of the soil but also mitigated potential settlement issues that could arise from the unpredictable nature of the sandy riverbed.

“The use of the proprietary ground improvement system exemplifies the project’s commitment to employing sustainable and innovative construction practices, ultimately enhancing the overall integrity and longevity of the parking garage,” said Lance Smith, project executive for Hoar Construction, the general contractor on the project.

Enhancing the user experience

The exterior of the structure includes backlit, vertical, colored fabric panels that depict abstract DNA sequencing, supporting the design language of the existing campus while also providing essential ventilation. To enhance the connection to the COM and the visibility of the garage, this exterior lighting can change colors for special occasions and national holidays via programmable luminaires. Leveraging views from the freeway, two light boxes showcase the Sam Houston State University logo on the north and east facades.

Additionally, wayfinding and branding graphics help visitors easily find stairways and elevators once inside the garage. The main set of stairs employs a unique design that showcases a health-inspired graphic combining university brand colors, DNA sequencing, and images related to human health.

To enhance the user experience, the garage employs gateless parking access, license plate recognition cameras, and a parking guidance system. Electric vehicle charging stations are an added convenience for faculty, staff, students, and visitors.

“Since the parking structure opened, everyone has reacted very positively to its unique design features, which were incorporated to enhance users’ experiences and help ensure positive impressions,” said Amy Huddleston, the project manager for facilities management at Sam Houston State University.

Project details

Owner: Sam Houston State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine

Architect, branding, and graphics provider: Kirksey Architecture

Parking consultant: Walter P Moore

Structural and civil engineer: Dally + Associates

Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineer and technology consultant: Teliosity

General contractor: Hoar Construction

Landscape architect: Asakura Robinson

Parking garage lighting: Kenall Manufacturing

Illumination’s importance

Lighting is an important feature in parking garages, especially since most fixtures are on continuously. The lighting must accommodate vehicular and pedestrian traffic, endure harsh operating environments, and address public safety considerations. Bright, uniform illumination helps with visibility and security. Recognizing the importance of first impressions, well-designed lighting helps patrons feel more comfortable and confident as they enter the garage.

Well-designed exterior lighting can also increase the feeling of security, help prevent injury to patrons, and play a critical role in the prevention and deterrence of crime. Security is one of the most critical issues facing owners and operators of parking facilities today. According to a report from the U.S. Department of Justice, lighting is one of the best ways to increase safety and reduce crime in parking structures.¹ This report also emphasized the importance of uniformity: “Passing from light to dark areas creates problems for drivers because of the eye’s inability to adjust rapidly. It is also imperative to illuminate the edges of parking stalls, rather than just the driving aisles. Maintaining an appropriate uniformity ratio avoids these problems.”

Addressing visibility and glare

Another key lighting consideration is glare, which reduces the contrast of an object against its background, making it difficult for the eye to perceive depth accurately. Glare is a potential hazard for all drivers, but is particularly dangerous for senior citizens and other individuals with weak or impaired vision.

Kirksey Architecture, the architectural firm on the project, reached out to a representative from the lighting manufacturer to discuss the lighting design strategy for the structure. Since the building code required interior fixtures to include dimming capabilities, the team selected a lightweight, architectural LED luminaire designed for parking garages. Its modern design complements the structure, while the fixture’s low weight—around 3 kg (7 lb)—made it economical to ship and installation easier for the contractor. The luminaire’s light weight has another benefit—installation can be done by an individual, rather than a crew, further saving time and money.

Being mindful of the university’s budget, the lighting fixture was selected because it is long-lasting and virtually maintenance-free. Additionally, the unique hexagonal light guide, featuring an edge-lit LED light engine, provides three distribution options: Type V, Rectangular, and Drive Lane. The flat illuminance plane offers superior, glare-free lighting performance.

Specifiers sought to avoid the cascading effect, a common issue in garages where fixtures are installed in a row or pattern, which can create overlapping shadows or bright spots, making it uncomfortable for drivers because the light appears to ripple or step unnaturally. However, the selected luminaire’s optical distribution eliminates this issue. With extensive experience using similar high-quality lighting products, the team determined that this solution would be effective for the project.

Performance and installation best-practice considerations

The parking structure is equipped with 1,185 LED luminaires, ranging from 40 to 70 watts. These low-glare fixtures play a critical role in enhancing driver visibility, improving vertical illumination to help identify pedestrians, ensuring safe vehicle entry, and making columns and other structural elements more visible.

Despite its lighter construction—less than half of the weight of comparable fixtures—the LED luminaire includes features specifiers expect from a high-efficacy, durable product, including an IP66 rating, occupancy sensing, daylight harvesting, multiple optical distributions, and 3G vibration compliance, all important qualities for a parking structure. The ceiling-mounted luminaire is designed for quick installation and can be specified with a simple, wireless, zonal lighting controls option that requires no commissioning, although this feature was not utilized on this project. System adjustments can be managed through an intuitive mobile application. The luminaire provides a nominal output range of 4,000 to 12,000 lumens.

“Because we incorporated many forward-thinking features to enhance the user experience, we wanted a lighting solution that was easy to install, provided uniform, bright light, and helped students, staff, and visitors feel safe,” says Paul Newsoroff, partner and director of commercial practice for Kirksey Architecture. “The selected fixtures deliver excellent glare control without compromising light levels.”

Notes

¹ View the full report.

Author

Anthony Sarti is the southern regional sales manager at Kenall Manufacturing. He may be reached at anthony.sarti@kenall.com.

Key Takeaways

Sam Houston State University’s new 30,467-m² (328,000-sf) parking garage combines structural innovation,
user-focused design, and advanced LED lighting. Stabilized on sandy soils with deep piers, the five-level garage offers 983 spaces, enhanced visibility, safety, and branding, while integrated features such as electric vehicle (EV) charging, intuitive wayfinding, and programmable exterior illumination create a modern, secure, and welcoming experience.