SCP17 FEATURE: PARKING
TRIED AND TESTED w
The old-fashioned virtues of mastic ashphalt are still hard to beat in car park surfacing hat do Bluewater in Kent, Meadowhall in Sheffield,
Brent Cross in London and Hammerson’s Union Square development in Aberdeen together with hundreds of
similar shopping centres across the country, have in common? Apart from being major retail hubs, they all need protection from Britain’s weather and to do that they have all opted for one building material – mastic asphalt.
The need to provide the best possible structural waterproofing for car park decks and roofing has always been a major design challenge, particularly for shopping malls and major retail centres. In hundreds of cases across the UK, the car park deck and roof are one of the same, which means a leak or failure of any kind could be potentially catastrophic.
There are plenty of waterproofing systems to choose from but only one delivers the kind of performance building owners and modern retailers expect. John Blowers of the Mastic Asphalt Council explains why mastic asphalt, a long established waterproofing membrane, is still the system of choice for shopping malls and major retail developments across the country.
Structural waterproofing is crucial for the exposed areas of rooftop and multi-storey car parks. Without it, water ingress occurs, weakening the concrete structure and corroding the steel reinforcements – which can prove fatal to any building. However, good waterproofing is only part of the story. Any type of car park surface must also be immensely durable to tolerate constant vehicle trafficking.
It is just one of the reasons why high performance mastic asphalt is specified for protecting critical areas of shopping malls such as roofs and car parks in just about every new and existing shopping mall in the country.
Modern mastic asphalt, developed over years of intensive
research and development, has proven itself superior to many of the expensive systems on offer today. It’s widely used on a range of challenging applications including paving, tanking and, as historically proven, waterproofing for green roofing, where its seamless nature ensures its resistance to roots, a feat that few waterproofing membranes can boast. Alongside its deserved market reputation, mastic asphalt offers
superb value owing to its longevity and ease of installation. Highly suitable for car park and roofing applications – mastic asphalt is in fact similar to the tarmac we use on our roads. Though wholly waterproof, it can withstand the heavy passage of vehicles that car park applications require and has high standards of skid resistance. The conversion of the Eagle Centre, Derby into Westfield Derby
is a typical example of a complex project associated with the expansion of a major shopping centre. Work was carried out while trading continued. The contractor laid over 21,000 sq m of asphalt to the car park area and 10,500 sq m of polymer modified asphalt to the roof, using an inverted specification. At various periods, over 20 operatives were working at any one time in order to meet the deadlines associated with new store openings, but the whole contract was delivered on time and within budget. The Aldridge Shopping Centre in the West Midlands required the
replacement of all mastic asphalt surfacing to a live shopping centre car park in Aldridge, west Midlands.
At the Kirkgate shopping centre car park, Bradford, contractors
resurfaced 11,000 sq m of the main top deck to this car park in just eleven weeks. The area provides the main customer access to the shops below and access was maintained at all times throughout the project. The numbers of case studies are numerous, but mastic
asphalt has one further advantage over other types of waterproof membrane – it is carbon neutral – a massive bonus for the nation’s retailers, anxious to show their green credentials and, when it has reached the end of its useful life, it can be recycled or used as roof screed etc, minimising the impact on the environment. The finish itself is not simply limited to the quality of the
installation and product. Modern car parks also demand superb aesthetics – the days of functional, grey and sterile multi-storey facilities are long gone. As mastic asphalt is available in a variety of colours, it can be used to mark out parking bays and vehicle channels, ensuring a bright aesthetic in what may otherwise be seen as an unwelcoming environment. With all these credentials, it is no wonder that mastic asphalt
remains the first choice for so many shopping centres that are not prepared to risk anything else.
Find out more: For more information, please contact the author or visit the website:
www.shopping-centre.co.uk/parking graham.parker@
jldmedia.com
www.shopping-centre.co.uk Dectember 2010 SHOPPING CENTRE
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