BEI was awarded a contract by the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), for A/E design services for the structural demolition of the existing underground garage, and the design of a new 475-vehicle, 3-level, underground garage at the Kennedy Square Block, which is part of the Campus Martius Redevelopment.

The design for reconstructing the Underground Kennedy Garage included three separate design phases. Phase I involved the installation of a temporary construction fence, the temporary rerouting of traffic along Woodward Avenue and Fort Street, and the removal of surface features on top of the existing garage.

Phase II of the work consisted of preparing contract documents for the structural demolition of the existing garage. Careful removal of the existing structure required shoring of the perimeter walls.

Phase III was the design of the new reinforced concrete underground garage. The garage consisted of a structure capable of supporting a new 12-story office tower, the Campus Martius Park pavilion and the relocation of Woodward Avenue over the top of it. The garage lid under the future office building will be a slab/beam system. The lid under Woodward Avenue will be post-tensioned reinforced concrete slab.

Close interface was necessary between several design consultants, involved in adjacent projects, and City of Detroit regulatory agencies.