Understanding Underground Parking Garages

This article emphasizes the importance of understanding and maintaining underground parking garages in condominiums. It highlights the various components of a typical underground parking garage, including slabs, waterproofing, columns, beams, drains, and expansion joints, and explains the potential sources of concealed deterioration in these structures. The article discusses testing methods to identify and quantify deterioration, such as chain drag and hammer tap survey for delaminated concrete and chloride testing for chloride-contaminated concrete. It emphasizes the need to address repairs promptly to avoid more extensive and costly damage. The article also suggests completing periodic condition assessments to inform a long-term asset management strategy and incorporate findings into the reserve fund study.