Additional security measures at Queensgate Shopping Centre car parks
Queensgate Shopping Centre
Additional security measures at Queensgate Shopping Centre car parks
| Project: | Additional security measures at Queensgate Shopping Centre car parks |
| Value: | £1,300,000 |
| Duration: | 12 months |
| Client: | Queensgate Shopping Centre |
| Completed: | May 2016 |
The multi-storey car parks which serve the Queensgate centre and daily commuters in Peterborough accommodate up to 2,300 cars and are a familiar feature in the city centre.
In recent years concerns have been raised over the openness of the upper levels of the car parks and Princebuild were selected to assist with the design and installation of safety measures.
The design and build project commenced in May 2015 and apart from pausing for the busy Christmas period has continued to run for a full year, reaching completion in May 2016.
All four of the centres car parks have had safety measures installed, both on the open roof levels and down to level five on each car park.
The project design was a fluid process, evolving on site as variances in the structure and existing fittings were encountered on each car park and level. Solutions put in place often required the design and manufacture of bespoke brackets and fixings to connect to a particular building corner or railing shape.
In recent years concerns have been raised over the openness of the upper levels of the car parks and Princebuild were selected to assist with the design and installation of safety measures.
The design and build project commenced in May 2015 and apart from pausing for the busy Christmas period has continued to run for a full year, reaching completion in May 2016.
All four of the centres car parks have had safety measures installed, both on the open roof levels and down to level five on each car park.
The project design was a fluid process, evolving on site as variances in the structure and existing fittings were encountered on each car park and level. Solutions put in place often required the design and manufacture of bespoke brackets and fixings to connect to a particular building corner or railing shape.
Solutions put in place often required the design and manufacture of bespoke brackets and fixings to connect to a particular building corner or railing shape.
Two solutions were employed to protect users of the car parks. On the top levels bespoke galvanised posts were erected to support the anti-climb netting. In these areas the existing lighting and speaker system had to be relocated to the new posts. On the middle levels the netting was fixed between the railings and attached to the roof using special fixings, each fixing had to be tested to bear one tonne of weight.
The stainless steel web-net meshing used for the majority of the car park roofs and openings had to be imported from Indonesia, this added pressure to the ordering process due to a ten week lead-in time. Accuracy was paramount as any mistakes in orders placed resulting in additional netting being required would have caused a significant delay in the project.
As the car parks were having so much steel added to them, particularly on the roof areas, additional consideration had to be given to the lightening risk for the buildings. A lightening protection system was incorporated into the project with all steel parts on the roofs being connected to the rebars of the building to create a lightening conductor and allowing any strikes to earth through the building.
One of the car parks required a slightly different approach, with the building design being different from the others. Netting was not a viable option for the open roof area and in its place sheets of steel mesh were installed and attached to much smaller posts. Each panel had to be fitted at an exact angle and this proved time consuming to lift, position and then fix the panels. To speed up the process a bespoke extension was designed and manufactured for the genie lift which would hold the wire mesh panels at the correct angle making fitting much quicker and easier.
To complete the project, anti-climb systems were installed to the door tops and ledges, ensuring the car parks provided safe enclosed spaces and eliminating all reasonably possibility of falls occurring.
The project was completed on time and in budget.
The stainless steel web-net meshing used for the majority of the car park roofs and openings had to be imported from Indonesia, this added pressure to the ordering process due to a ten week lead-in time. Accuracy was paramount as any mistakes in orders placed resulting in additional netting being required would have caused a significant delay in the project.
As the car parks were having so much steel added to them, particularly on the roof areas, additional consideration had to be given to the lightening risk for the buildings. A lightening protection system was incorporated into the project with all steel parts on the roofs being connected to the rebars of the building to create a lightening conductor and allowing any strikes to earth through the building.
One of the car parks required a slightly different approach, with the building design being different from the others. Netting was not a viable option for the open roof area and in its place sheets of steel mesh were installed and attached to much smaller posts. Each panel had to be fitted at an exact angle and this proved time consuming to lift, position and then fix the panels. To speed up the process a bespoke extension was designed and manufactured for the genie lift which would hold the wire mesh panels at the correct angle making fitting much quicker and easier.
To complete the project, anti-climb systems were installed to the door tops and ledges, ensuring the car parks provided safe enclosed spaces and eliminating all reasonably possibility of falls occurring.
The project was completed on time and in budget.
