Design/architecture & construction
The car park at Uxbridge & Harrow College was designed and installed to provide additional land for college expansion and encourage sustainable travel.
Traditional construction can be expensive and highly disruptive to build in a teaching environment, an innovative modular solution, constructing in stand-alone modules enabled customers to benefit from reduced disruption and electric vehicle (EV) charging supported by photo voltaic (PV) panels.
The college planned to use half of an existing car park for a new Institute of Technology building, through the addition of a modular first storey to the retained car park area, they could increase on their 192 parking spaces, enhance cycle facilities and comply with the Section 106 planning conditions.
Working in partnership international fabricators SiderPark, our modular solution met the tight schedule with the added advantage of staged construction to release some parking spaces early and an ability to future proof the space with simple future modifications as modal shift increases in pace.
This structure is a modular, prefabricated, demountable and can be 95% recycled, and provides the following:
- Temporary unit designed as a Ground+1 raised level with a minimal foundation requirement
- Manufactured, installed and potential for subsequent quick removal
- Easy and safe to install in proximity of the college
- Meet the planning constraints on the site
The unit is supported on base plates in direct bearing on the existing surface car park tarmac pavement, with exception of anchorage to the perimeter columns to contrast wind uplift action.
Innovative modular solution
With the date to commence the new building set, this innovative and adaptable solution guaranteed completion on site in just 10 weeks. The completed car park was delivered in September 2019, on schedule and allowing the college to open the car park in time for the new 2019/20 academic year.
