Car park design is often thought of as the art of compromise – finding an optimised solution to balance out multiple physical, technical and operational constraints. Technology and modern building systems offer a different design pathway – one that’s less about compromise and more about delivering enhanced value.
The multi-storey car park Octavius is completing for the Princess of Wales Hospital in Ely illustrates the point. Smarter technical solutions are delivering better outcomes, even in the face of significant constraints.
The Brief
The hospital needed more parking spaces to alleviate issues around the site and on neighbouring streets. Space for development was limited, site access was constrained and, of course, it all had to happen in a live hospital environment in continuous use by patients and medical staff.
The modular system design proposed by Octavius provides more parking spaces than originally envisaged – all within the same footprint. There will be 279 spaces distributed across the surface level plus three additional decks. There are two lifts, 109 cycle spaces, 16 disabled access spaces and 8 EV charging stations – with the capacity to easily add more as demand increases.
Sustainability Enhancements
The flexible building system selected for the project opens opportunities for cost-effective design and sustainability enhancements. The new parking facility will feature a green wall and SUDS attenuation within the footprint of the car park to improve drainage and reduce flood risk.
Consideration and Convenience
Delivering a construction project on an operational hospital site and in close proximity to residents brings its own challenges. Transport and logistics planning are all simplified by the modular construction system, which also minimises noise, dust and vibration compared to traditional multi-storey car park construction methods.
The system components are ideal for constrained locations where onsite operations need to be minimised. We’re able to use smaller delivery vehicles and a smaller crane to lift components into place.
Faster Completion, Less Time On Site
The modular system reduces the overall project timing and, most important, the time window for onsite operations. The project began in August 2023. The first elements of the steel work were erected in February 2024 and the car park is on schedule for final handover byNovember 2024.
In summary, our customer is getting more parking spaces, along with a better and more sustainable technical solution with significantly less disruption to the vital working life of the hospital site.
You can read more about innovations in car park construction through our resource centre. Or by contacting Octavius on hello@octavius.co.uk
