Single Threaded Design

In order to develop a reasonably efficient free-standing parking structure, the

minimum dimensions needed are about 122 feet in width by 155 feet in
length. A width of 122 feet allows for a two-bay facility with two-way traffic
flow and 90-degree parking. A facility with two-way traffic and a five-foot rise
along each bay requires approximately 155 feet in length for a minimum
floor-to-floor height of about ten feet. That is, one 360-degree turn within the
facility equates to a vertical rise of ten feet. A structure in this configuration
has sloping floors along both façade sides. However, sloping floors can make
façade treatments challenging. On larger sites that allow a structure length
of about 255 feet, one bay can be sloped rising 10 feet with opposite façade
having a “level” floor.

Because of the number of 360º turns needed to ascend in a single threaded

structure, the number of levels (floors) should preferably be limited to a
maximum of six, otherwise the number of turns required and the number of
spaces passed becomes inconvenient. A structure with a two-bay single
thread design has a capacity for a maximum of approximately 750 spaces.
The isometric diagram to the right represents a two-bay single-threaded helix.

Single Threaded Helix with Sloping Floors

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