When you think of a typical car park, the term ‘low carbon’ probably isn’t the first thing that springs to mind. But times are changing. Octavius has developed a novel engineering approach that can install transport hubs or additional car parking spaces with a significantly lower carbon cost.
The first priority for carbon reduction is to limit the quantities of materials used. With our modular product we can normally install one or two additional parking decks over an existing surface level car park without needing to install foundations.
The foundations of carbon reduction
One tonne of reinforced concrete will be responsible for 0.8 tonnes of CO2. There will be further embodied carbon associated with excavation and transport. So eliminating the need for foundations has a major impact. If foundations are needed, the lightweight superstructure usually allows for a simple ring beam approach instead of piled foundations.
The main structure is a lightweight steel frame that is bolted together. This makes it easy to disassemble the car park if it is no longer needed in that location. The approach is consistent with circular economy principles, ensuring that the main structural elements are easy to reuse at the end of life.
Efficient use of space
Working with modular car park specialists Siderpark, we’re also able to use the adaptability of the technology to engineer solutions that achieve a higher density of parking spaces within a given footprint, without compromising on usability.
Smarter engineering can reduce the space needed by as much as 30%, with corresponding reductions in material use and embodied carbon. This is partly due to the long clear spans made possible by the prefabricated steel framework.
The car park structure makes it exceptionally easy to install PV panels, solar ‘trees’ and EV charging points to ensure the transport hub or car park has zero operational carbon over its lifetime.
The modular car park solution is part of our drive to make Octavius a zero carbon business by 2030 in line with our sustainability strategy, and our key pillar of Sustainable Legacy.
To find out more take a look at our resource centre or contact Barry Goss (barry.goss@octaviusinfrastructure.co.uk).
