Boston, MA
Museum of Science Parking Garage
Scope/Solutions
The Museum of Science parking garage was built in two phases in the late 1960s and partially spans the Charles River. After thirty years of exposure to weather and vehicles, chlorides from deicing salts permeated the top surface of the concrete slabs. Working for the owner, SGH assessed the condition of the concrete garage and recommended a rehabilitation program to extend the useful life of the structure.
The five-level parking structure has an approximate gross area of 68,000 sq ft per level. The garage is a combination of precast, prestressed concrete elements and cast-in-place, post-tensioned concrete elements. Our services included the following:
- Determined the condition of the garage through a hands-on investigation
- Examined the condition of the concrete
- Evaluated the extent of chloride contamination from deicing salts typically brought into the garage by vehicles
- Identified and prioritized remedial work to repair deterioration, control leakage, and extend the useful life of the garage
- Estimated costs for the remedial work
Project Summary
Solutions
Repair & Rehabilitation
Services
Structures | Applied Science & Research
Markets
Infrastructure & Transportation
Client(s)
Museum of Science
Specialized Capabilities
Repair & Strengthening | Materials Science
Additional Projects
Northeast
Development of Locomotive Crashworthy Components
Train collisions involving locomotives can result in serious damage and occupant injury due to the larger size and stiffness of the locomotive. SGH assisted TIAX, LLC and the Volpe Center with designing a crash energy management system for a locomotive along with material and component testing.
Northeast
Railroad Bridge over Otter Creek
SGH helped them by evaluating an alternate design and construction sequence to allow them to complete the project with limited weekend shutdowns of the railroad operations.

