SCP13 PARKING
Room at the top O
Retailers and landlords are increasingly using decked parking to free up valuable development land
ffering an easy way to add spaces to a burgeoning car park TopDeck installs quick-build and fully-demountable platforms onto an existing car park with minimum
disruption. By incorporating what it calls ‘speed-build technology’ a TopDeck platform can be erected over an existing car park – increasing parking capacity by between 80 and 100 per cent typically – in a matter of days. Hill & Smith’s TopDeck Parking and sister company Berry Systems
have over 40 years of experience and offer a complete package including cladding, curtain walling, perimeter barriers and pedestrian protection. Consisting of a series of modular sections built off-site, each
section is 16 meters long, comprising two opposing parking bays separated by an access way. In theory there is no minimum or maximum number of spaces but adding anywhere from 70 to 700 bays is the norm. There is often no need for foundations or planning permission
and the decks are delivered on-site complete with markings, Triflex anti-skid treatments, pre-fitted barriers – supplied by TopDeck’s sister company Berry Systems – plug and play electrics and rapid attach ramps, stairs and cladding in order to minimise the time from construction start to handover. According to TopDeck’s business manager, Steve Dunn, a deck can
be built five or six times quicker than a conventional car park. “Work on a traditional car park would still be underway 2-3 months
after we’ve completed,” he says. “And that saves money for the client.” The Triflex anti-skid coating has a double benefit, not only
improving safety but also acting as a weather resistant deck over the existing ground floor car park, vital to any retail environment. TopDeck can be used as a temporary solution or as a permanent one – with a lifespan of 30 years. And the structure is fully- demountable and relocatable. “It’s 100 per cent demountable so it can be re-located without
having to scrap the structure which is environmentally friendly,” explains Dunn. Disruption to existing parking is minimised and can often be
partially or even wholly maintained during the short-build period. “During construction, we occupy only 60 parking bays at a time
whereas for a traditional car park, twice that area would need to be taken over,” says Dunn. “And there’s a cost attached to that,” he adds. “Taking up a smaller
area prevents loss of revenue.” TopDeck recently expanded the car park of an Asda store at
Longwell Green, Bristol. Following a two-week foundation preparation programme, the
construction of the 268-space parking deck took just 27 days to complete, despite deliveries being restricted to two hours a day from 8-10am to minimise disruption to customers. That meant that all 160 modules, weighing a total of 1,500 tonnes,
had to be delivered in batches of 60 to 90 tonnes every day. “This project has gone pretty smoothly and TopDeck did exactly
what they said they would,” says Ian Long, project manager for ISG Pearce. “It was difficult for them to have to cope with the site restrictions regarding deliveries and space available and they also had to fit in with both our strict health & safety requirements and Asda’s as well. Every company has their own way of doing this and they showed flexibility throughout to adapt their methods to dovetail in with ours.” According to Dunn, TopDeck is robust from a structural design
point-of-view, easily achieved and it performs well. “People like the concept,” he says. “And feedback is very good.” Cost is typically £5,500 per space upwards but it depends heavily on system specifications, including lighting and cladding.
Find out more: For more information, please contact the author:
mia.hunt@
jldmedia.com
www.shopping-centre.co.uk June 2011 SHOPPING CENTRE
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