The Port of Portland Parking Additions and Consolidated Rental Car Facility (PACR) project showcases the exceptional collaboration and innovative spirit of JE Dunn and Integrus (formerly YGH). This progressive design-build project, valued at $334 million, serves as a multi-faceted narrative of teamwork, ingenuity, and dedication to sustainability.
The PACR project encompassed three main components. First, a new six-level, 1.64 million square foot parking structure, providing approximately 2,290 long-term parking spaces on the upper levels and 2,070 ready/return spaces for rental car operations on the lower levels. Second, a four-story, 90,000-square-foot airport operations office building, which includes a retail rental car center on the ground floor. Third, an on-grade connection building that facilitates pedestrian access from the terminal’s south tunnel to the new rental car center and office building. Additionally, the project required extensive site utility work, landscaping, and revisions to vehicular and pedestrian circulation throughout the 26-acre campus.
Stacey Flint, who played a key role in the project, highlighted the unique challenges faced during its execution. “This was a progressive design-build project, which meant we were putting work in place while other parts of the project were still in early design phases,” she said. “It was a very aggressive timeline, and we had to push to keep the design ahead of the construction. It’s a very efficient way to work, but also quite challenging.”
The project’s complexity was compounded by the need for 13 different permit packages and over 3,400 drawings. Flint emphasized the significance of this, noting, “Usually, a drawing set is a couple hundred pages, but we had over 3,400. Navigating through the permitting process with so many drawings was wild.”
A noteworthy aspect of the PACR project was the implementation of “prevention through design,” a safety process that involved collaborating with the client and the design team to identify and mitigate potential hazards for future maintenance. This proactive approach earned the project an award for its innovative safety measures.
“We worked with the client’s maintenance team to understand their most common hazards and then designed the building to eliminate those risks,” Flint said. “It was about making the building safer for everyone.”
Sustainability was a cornerstone of the project, culminating in the achievement of LEED Gold certification. “We used CarbonCure concrete, which captures carbon emissions within the concrete itself, making it a much greener process,” Flint said. “The entire parking structure, which was 1.64 million square feet, utilized this sustainable concrete.”
The PACR project also involved a significant self-perform package, with JE Dunn handling $41 million in concrete work. The intricate nature of the project extended to the construction of two underground tunnels, a feat that required meticulous planning and execution. Flint recalled the careful process of excavating around a critical fiber line that fed the entire airport. “We had to cross that line seven times without causing any interruptions. It was like an archaeological dig, uncovering it so gently by hand,” she said.
One of the most interesting aspects of the project was the diversity of stakeholders involved. The office tower, managed by Flint towards the end of the project, housed rental car companies, the TSA headquarters, a police station with a K9 unit, and the Port of Portland’s Critical Operations Center, which serves essentially as the airport’s 911 center. “Each floor was like building a different building, for different people” Flint remarked. “It was so cool to see the variety of spaces we were creating.”
Due to its location, the building was also designed to be seismically resilient, ensuring all services remain operational in the event of an earthquake. “We used advanced seismic calibrators and stretchable supports to make sure everything, from fire sprinklers to the Main Distribution Frame (MDF) room, stays functional,” Flint explained.
Throughout the project, JE Dunn’s team exemplified teamwork and adaptability, with staff from four different offices—Portland, Kansas City, Denver, and Atlanta—coming together to make the PACR project a success. This collaborative spirit, combined with innovative design and a commitment to sustainability, made the Port of Portland Parking Additions and Consolidated Rental Car Facility a standout achievement in JE Dunn’s storied history.