13 June 2022 · By Rob Wilson, photography by Richard Chivers

The steel frame structure has composite decks clad in a combination of louvred and mesh steel and will provide 469 staff parking spaces

The site for the multistorey car park, a short, level walk from the main hospital site, is located partially within a conservation area on the edge of the Grand Union Canal. Being within close proximity of the historic canal walls meant the technical strategy for the build, including the piling works, had to be coordinated with the Canal & Rivers Trust.

The project arose because South Warwickshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust required additional staff parking to free up space for patients and visitors and enable future clinical development on the main site.

The parking spaces include 21 passive electric vehicle charging spaces and four motorcycle spaces. Disabled parking provision for staff members and the public will remain on the main site near the hospital buildings.

The car park provides a high-quality, secure and comfortable experience for car parking for hospital staff, increasing parking capacity for patients and visitors at the main site by approximately 20 per cent. This makes parking less stressful and reduces late and missed appointments. It will also help to enhance staff recruitment and retention for the trust, enabling the continued delivery of high-quality healthcare services. The structure has been designed to be as efficient as possible, reducing embodied carbon compared to a concrete frame and providing an opportunity for reuse or recycling at the end of its useful life for the trust. Fiona Petch, director, Fatkin

South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust commissioned the building of an off-site 469-space multistorey car park solely to be used by staff. The purpose of the new car park, which is based near our Warwick Hospital site, was to increase off-site parking for staff to improve on-site parking spaces for patients. It will also enable us to use our hospital estate differently by presenting scope for further development opportunities – giving the trust more flexibility to improve services and increase clinical offerings, which will benefit patients.

The brief was for four floors to comply with local planning restrictions. The land the development was built on was based at the rear of an existing factory and close to the local canal. This proved to be a bit of a challenge, working in a very compact site and near a live waterway. Fatkin worked closely with the car park builder to design a structure that fitted in with the local existing buildings, which are mainly industrial in appearance.

The layout of the car park externally and importantly internally has proved to be a complete success for staff. Euro-sized spaces to accommodate larger modern vehicles has proved to be a bonus. Also the inclusion of 22 electric vehicle charging spaces with capacity for 12 more in the future aligns with our trust’s sustainability goals. The layout inside is easy to use for drivers and each floor is colour coded to make finding your car really easy. Good lighting throughout is also featured. Following the car park’s completion, we are pursuing a prestigious award in recognition of the good design structure. Jeff Bayliss, senior project manager, Capital Development Team, South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust

Start on site February 2021 Completion date February 2022 Gross internal floor area 12,000m2 Gross (internal + external) floor area 12,400m2 Form of contract or procurement route JCT design and build contract 2016 / design and build Construction cost £5.4 million Architect Fatkin Executive architect Huber Car Park Systems Client South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust Structural engineer Huber Car Park Systems M&E consultant DSSR Highway consultant Highway Access Solutions Quantity surveyor Osbornes Landscape consultant Lanpro Fire engineer Astute Fire Planning consultant Marrons Planning Project manager Osbornes Principal designer Osbornes Approved building inspector Stroma Building Control Main contractor Huber Car Park Systems CAD software used Revit

Tags Fatkin multi-storey car park South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust steel frame

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