Meeting the challenge of combining aesthetics and regulations
Dorset County Hospital is located just outside Dorchester town centre. This modern hospital provides a full range of district general services, including an accident and emergency department, and links with satellite units in five community hospitals. As the main provider of acute hospital services to a population of around 300,000, ample parking space is required at all times.
It was decided that a multi-storey car park (MSCP) should be built to keep pace with demand. Due to new and stricter public regulations combined with the desire for aesthetic freedom, the task presented several challenges that required extensive teamwork within our organisation.
Challenges and wins
The design and construction of multi-storey car parks are receiving a lot of attention in the UK. It gives status to develop aesthetic garages and prizes are awarded every year for the best MSCP architecture – RMIG Solutions has contributed to many significant projects within this field.
At the same time, the regulations and legislation for MSCPs are being tightened all the time in the UK. This applies to the guidelines for light and ventilation, and to a large extent to the rules for fire safety. In connection with the Dorset County Hospital project, this presented RMIG Solutions with various challenges.
For instance, the traditional coating for facade panels proved too thick in relation to the latest UK fire regulations. In the event of a fire, it could cause smoke that reduces visibility. RMIG Solutions joined the project at an early stage and was able to scan the market and offer a new compliant raw material. At RMDE-R, the possibilities were explored, and Novelis ff3® aluminium, which is coil-coated from the factory, was recommended. This material could be perforated without losing its beneficial properties and its compliance with the regulations.
Next, it was time to process the images for the facade. After a public vote, three images from the beautiful Dorset countryside had been selected for illustration, but they were in portrait format and also had to be processed so that they could meet the requirements for open areas for light and ventilation.
We succeeded in processing the images and the results were remarkable! Through a bit of wizardry we managed to change the photos to landscape format and at the same time let in light and air for the users. This made it possible to merge the creative wishes of the architects with what was technically possible. It is always a compromise when it comes to MSCPs, but even though ventilation requirements reduce the contrast in the images, they still stand out and give residents a great impression of the Dorset landscapes.
Finally, numbers could be stamped directly on each element in the production line so there was never any doubt as to where and in what order they should be installed. This made the on-site mounting process much easier for the customer.
Technical characteristics
- Size of the project: 3,400 m²
- Material: Novelis ff3® coil-coated aluminium
- Pattern: RMIG ImagePerf
- Thickness: 3.0 mm
- Finishing operation: Bending
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