Australian construction technology company Parkd used its proprietary modular, multi-storey carpark structure solution, the PARKD Car Park System, on the project, a Subaru dealership in Perth’s inner-southern suburb of Victoria Park.
Comprising three elements that are pre-fabricated off-site, the system offers faster build times and reduced costs when compared to traditional concrete car parks. It is also reusable, relocatable and can be modified by expanding or extending.
The two-level structure entailed lifting precast concrete beams and slabs into place and bolting them together within a budget of $900,000. The precast components, supplied locally by steel fabricator Civmec, were made by pouring concrete into a steel frame. This kept the different pieces within their strictly required dimensions.
Parkd chief executive Peter McUtchen confirmed the system was 40 per cent lighter than a traditional concrete structure, entailing significant material saving.
The project also took about four months, compared to eight under traditional methods. On-site assembly started on July 12 and was completed in early August.
Poor ground conditions added six weeks to the time taken to put in footings to support the two-level car deck, however the lighter concrete structure, the key piece of which was a 17-metre supporting beam that weighed less than 24 tonnes and could be carried by a standard trailer truck, made the project viable even with the unexpectedly high foundation costs.
McUtchen reportedly said a traditional concrete structure would have required substantial pile foundations, which would have “blown the job out of the water from a cost perspective,” adding hundreds of thousands [of dollars] to the job.■
