The number one priority in the design of any high-rise structure is the safety of the user. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the construction of a multi-storey car park (MSCP).
In recent years, there have been a series of high-profile fires, the most recent of which occurred in October 2023 at Luton Airport. The fire which broke out on level 3 of the terminal carpark caused significant damage not only to the parked cars, but also the structure itself.
A partial collapse of the carpark deck will result in the MSCP having to be fully demolished. The concerning extent of the damage to the steel frame structure, has since given many structural engineers and designers more cause to consider precast concrete not only for key elements such as floors, lift shafts and stair flights, but also for the frame itself. Precast concrete products are the preferred choice in many applications where fire protection is key to the build. Precast concrete firewalls, up to four-hour fire rated, are typically installed as fire protection walls for power substation transformers and precast concrete buildings that house power generation equipment. Recognising the proven fire resilience and durability of precast concrete, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Fire Service has recently replaced a multi-level steel frame live fire training facility with a precast concrete building.
Peace of mind in a fire
In 2022, MPA Precast carried out a full-scale fire test on a set of concrete façade panels which passed all the requirements of BS 8414-2:2020.
In conjunction with Ulster University, FP McCann has also undertaken fire tests on its structural wall panels where temperatures in excess of 600 degrees Celsius resulted in only minor cosmetic damage to the panels leaving them structurally sound.
In the case of MSCP, the fire resilience of precast concrete is just one of the many benefits. By its open nature, a MSCP is exposed to the elements and is also subject to fuel and oil spills from vehicles. Its anti-corrosion properties means that unlike steel frames, no special coatings are required. Where fire sprinkler and M&E systems are specified, precast concrete MSCP’s are designed with pathways for installation. Fast, safe and efficient construction is a major advantage when utilising offsite precast concrete, with build times reduced by as much as 40%.
Offsite precast concrete continues to gain recognition and developers and contractors alike are turning to this structural system particularly in the case of MSCP’s.
The Mountpark Wakefield Hub site is home to a MSCP where FP McCann supplied and installed 1,210 individual precast concrete items. The precast concrete superstructure consists of columns, beams, parapet walls, ramp sections and precast stairs. Topping off the car park is 3,800sq m of FP McCann’s prestressed hollowcore floor planks 400mm and 200mm deep, finished with a 100mm layer structural screed. Main contractor on the project, global construction specialist ISG, has recently completed the work.
FP McCann has also recently completed the supply and installation of a five-level precast concrete MSCP at North Manchester General Hospital. If a location ever exemplified the need for safe accessible parking facilities it is a hospital. The 1,000 space MSCP has been built to provide much improved parking facilities. The MSCP is part of a £25million enabling works package being delivered by national construction and regeneration specialist Morgan Sindall. In this project the largest single span of hollowcore flooring is 15.6m long.
In the case of both projects, installation was undertaken by the company’s specialist precast concrete fixing team. For designers looking to learn lessons from fires like the one at Luton Airport, precast concrete offers an offsite solution which provides the programme efficiency benefits but also the peace of mind for users and clients which only concrete can provide.
For more information and further details on the tests undertaken at Ulster University visit: www.mpaprecast.org
Source: Offsite magazine issue 41
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