7
PARKING: REFURBISHMENT
Corrosion “Annual maintenance budgets
are regularly exceeded due to
CONTROL
reactive repairs”
The deck of the Patriotic Street car park was too crumbly to hold a maintenance plans to suit their findings.
typical barrier post, so instead spring steel posts were used. Designed In Horsham, Pyle Car Park Consultants have been working with the
by Berry Systems to bend and absorb any impact, these posts do district council to extend the life of the Swan Walk multi-storey car park
not need to be embedded deeply into the deck – a necessity when by 50 years. The car park, situated next to Swan Walk shopping centre,
corrosion has had a severe impact. was another 1960s build suffering from years of corrosion. But Russell
Although solutions such as these are a valuable investment when Simmons, project manager at Pyle Consulting, says that the concrete
the decking has already deteriorated, the most cost-effective way of will now be closely monitored to give a better idea of future corrosion
dealing with corrosion is to catch it before it becomes a serious issue. levels based on previous patterns.
Many car park refurbishments, therefore, incorporate monitoring “Each and every repair is logged with details of anodes, any
equipment that allows operators to keep a close eye on any potential additional steel work installed and the exact location of the repair for
problems. reference over the life of the structure,” says Simmons.
Matrix Solutions, the car park refurbishment specialist, has been With monitoring systems recently implemented at car parks in
encouraging a proactive stance towards car park maintenance over the Southampton and Horsham as well as Wakefield and Oldham, is the
last decade. During the substantial refurbishment of a multi-storey car recession having any impact on the uptake of corrosion monitoring? Not
park in Southampton, Matrix buried electrodes under areas of the deck necessarily, according to Whittaker, but money is certainly a factor.
where the risk of corrosion was especially high. “Clients have been, and are still, looking for even more value for
Tim Whittaker, marketing director at Matrix, is aware of the present money. We have found that once a client understands the significant
need to reduce spending and manage future costs more efficiently. benefits of corrosion monitoring, and that it can be incorporated into
“We appreciate that, in the current economic climate, many clients a major refurbishment or as a stand-alone solution, they are keen
are looking for value engineered solutions which often do not involve to include it within their maintenance regime and life care planning
structure-wide applications of specialist coatings. Where this is the case, process,” he says.
we have developed a unique range of asset management solutions As car parks will continually need refurbishing and maintaining, there
focused on monitoring the condition of the structure,” he explains. will always be a need for corrosion solutions. But crucially, monitoring
For the council-run Eastgate Street car park in Southampton city equipment can be employed in older constructions as well as new
centre, Matrix compiles an annual corrosion report based on information builds because it simply involves embedding electrodes within the
from reference electrodes embedded in the concrete. “This allows decking. This is not the case with barrier or reinforcement added after
the management surveyor to regularly monitor the condition of their damage has been done, because the decking must be strong enough
client’s car park, and also predict more accurately future repair and for posts to be inserted which is not always the case. Columns are also
maintenance requirements,” adds Whittaker. difficult to design for existing car parks because they must be able to
This wasn’t the only solution to be implemented during this withstand the correct amount of pressure. And any barriers constructed
particular refurbishment. Matrix also applied deck coatings and an around the edge to bolster corroded walls will impinge on the space
anti-carbonation treatment to help fight against corrosion damage. But inside the car park.
Neil Wright, managing director of Matrix, emphasises that corrosion So corrosion becomes incredibly costly for operators of existing
monitoring worked effectively as an after-care service in this case. “We structures, and sometimes impossible to repair without tearing
felt that to provide the client with the additional longevity they required, down the infrastructure and starting from scratch. For these reasons,
the ability to remotely monitor any future corrosion activity added Whittaker believes that monitoring in particular will become a major tool
significant value to our solution,” he says. employed in many 1960s constructions as well as new builds.
Eastgate Street multi-storey car park, built in the 1960s, is “If a shopping centre owner has a revenue-generating car park or
frequently used by people shopping in the nearby Bargate, Marlands an asset of considerable value, surely it is in their interest to be able to
and East Street shopping centres, as well as WestQuay retail park. With monitor future corrosion and act before repair costs spiral out of control.
such a high usage, Jas Sahota, technical manager of parking services “Annual maintenance budgets are regularly exceeded due to
at Southampton City Council, wanted to invest in the long-term reactive repairs not addressing the issue at source – corrosion. Being
maintenance of the car park. able to proactively monitor this and act accordingly delivers far more
“The corrosion monitoring was installed to ensure that we are aware cost certainty to owners and managers when it comes to maintaining
of any issues arising; to avoid any potential problems; and to allow us to their car parks,” he says.
carry out a planned maintenance approach if required,” says Sahota.
So this monitoring solution not only helps operators stay one step Find out more:
ahead of any major problems, it also assists with plans for the future. For more information, please contact the author or visit the website:
With annual updates on corrosion damage to specific areas of the car

www.shopping-centre.co.uk/parking
park, operators can learn more about the cause of corrosion and tailor

lauren.vanderkar@jldmedia.com
www.shopping-centre.co.uk SEPTEMBER 2009 SHOPPING CENTRE
SCPSep-04-07-F1.indd 7 23/9/09 20:10:03
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44