Car parks are important assets and gateways to a destination, but to stay ahead of the competition operators must ensure their parking structures are not only safe but also provide a stylish and welcoming atmosphere for users.
Following more than 40 years of exposure to water, de-icing salts, airborne contaminants and the constant use of vehicles, a major £4.2 million refurbishment programme for two city centre car parks in Brighton has seen the use of a range of market leading solutions from global building product manufacturer Sika.
Built in 1969, the Regency Square Car Park is a three storey underground car park located in the prestigious Regency Square on Brighton’s seafront while the smaller Trafalgar Road Car Park is a multi-storey structure in the heart of the shopping district. In a bid to modernise and update the car parks which have a total capacity for over 700 cars, owner Brighton and Hove City Council’s refurbishment plans included structural repairs, new waterproof deck systems, improved signage and bay markings, better lighting, new fire alarms and CCTV as well as links to the city's Traffic Control Centre so that customer service is available 24 hours a day.
To ensure years of longevity and to provide a reliable, durable and high performance structure, consultant engineer Hemsley Orrell Partnership specified Sika. “We specified Sika systems, firstly because they have great technical support but also they have a long track record of good performance in the industry,” said Jon Orrell of Hemsley Orrell Partnership. “This technical support helped us at the early design stage right through to construction.”
Highly experienced in the application of Sika products, specialist contractor Makers Construction Ltd, were appointed by main contractor Westridge Construction to repair both car parks’ ageing concrete structures and apply new waterproof and decorative decking systems to each car park. The work was carried out one level at a time to ensure minimal disruption to residents and visitors.
Due to high chlorides and low concrete cover to the structure, an effective corrosion management system was required to be incorporated as part of the refurbishment works.
Sika Galvashield Sacrificial Anodes were applied to the concrete patch repairs to protect against incipient anode corrosion. Sika Ferrogard 903+ was spray applied to the remaining areas of the concrete slab to protect against further corrosion occurring to the steel reinforcement due to the presence of chlorides and carbonation.
Sika Rapid Repair Mortar was used for the concrete repairs due to its fast application process, excellent adhesion and long term performance. Offering high early strength, this one component fast setting cementitious repair mortar exceeds the BS EN1504 regulations for concrete repair and protection and is ideal for use on both horizontal and vertical concrete surfaces. For deeper repairs, Sika Armorex Armocrete was used.
Before applying the waterproofing and surface finishes to the car park decks the substrates were cleaned and prepared using a vacuum shot blasting operation. This removes the latence (a surface layer of weakly bonded cement) and contaminants from the surface of the concrete.
The car parks needed to use several Sikafloor systems to meet the different needs of the different levels, with each area having to be durable and resistant to chemicals and abrasion. The external top deck system at Trafalgar Street required a fast setting system able to be applied at low temperatures due to the external applications. A reinforcing fleece was applied to areas of potential movement to protect against reflective cracking to the deck.
Available in various colours, a seal coat was used for demarcation of both spaces and pedestrian walkways on each level to provide safety for users and greater functionality. This proven system conforms to EN1504 Part 2 for the protection of concrete structures.
The Sikafloor system provides a fantastic, hard-wearing surface finish. It is part of Sika’s Ecoline range of resin based flooring products. Produced from next generation low allergy resin, reducing the risk of applicator sensitivity, they are CE marked for performance. Available in tins and economically and ecologically advantageous drums, these can help to reduce the amount of packaging required which results in less waste on site.
As well as its market leading range of products, Sika also provides a free comprehensive car park survey service. As part of this, Sika's technical team will visit the site and produce a visual site report that highlights the immediate issues. This can be used in conjunction with advice from a qualified structural engineer to formulate a life care plan as recommended by the Institute of Civil Engineers.
With both the Regency and Trafalgar Car Park now complete and in daily use, the car parks now have a reliable, durable and high performance surface, all thanks to a comprehensive selection of market leading products from Sika.
