Introduction
As part of Plymouth City Council’s car park modernisation and refurbishment programme, some 5 car parks were identified for renovation. The Theatre Royal car park on Old George Street was recently refurbished as part of the programme. Built circa 1980, the concrete car park required maintenance works to safeguard the structure and future parking revenue generation. The Theatre Royal Plymouth is the region’s largest theatre, attracting a wide range of productions and audience which the car park serves.
Triflex provided a range of waterproofing, surfacing and protection systems to the external decks of the 5 car parks in Plymouth city centre. At the Theatre Royal car park the Triflex DeckFloor system not only protected the fabric of the building, but also provided a versatile surface for subsequent PV panel installation.
A backdrop of climate emergency
Plymouth City Council declared a climate emergency in March 2019. With a pledge to make Plymouth carbon neutral by 2030, innovative solutions are at the forefront of the council’s approach. The Theatre Royal car park rooftop has been repurposed for energy generation helping meet net zero goals.
The challenge
The external parking decks 11 and 12 form the roof of the Theatre Royal car park ‘s 612 space parking facility. These decks had been coated in the past but were now at the end of their life, with delamination and wear evident. A robust, durable solution was required for the top two car park decks and connecting ramps that allow access to deck 11 and further to deck 12.
The Triflex Technical team undertook a condition survey and testing, to provide a bespoke project specification proposal for a heavy duty, thick layer waterproofing and surfacing solution. Assessment included adhesive and cohesive strength testing over the concrete substrate.
Meeting the challenges of changing use
With the changes to shopping and working habits, multi-storey car parks are now often rarely fully utilised. This means that owners and operators face challenges as to repurposing these valuable assets. Plymouth City Council recognised that the car park roof could be repurposed to provide an area for PV panels to help fulfill their decarbonisation goals.
The solution
Triflex DeckFloor with Quartz was proposed for the external car park decks, with Triflex DeckFloor with Emery aggregate for the access ramps. The flexible system was locally reinforced providing dynamic crack bridging to vulnerable areas identified during survey. The cold liquid applied system provided highly durable waterproofing coupled with anti-skid properties with high retention of PTV over time. The Triflex DeckFloor with Emery solution offers an even tougher surface capable of withstanding the higher forces of vehicles traversing the access ramps.
The Triflex waterproofing systems are highly compatible with a wide range of substrates. Whilst they can be used to overlay existing coatings, in this case the existing coating was in such poor condition it was removed in full prior to installation of the Triflex DeckFloor system. The Triflex solvent and isocyanate free resin technology can be supplied in bulk containers further supporting the sustainable aims of the refurbishment project. Rapidly curing, the system was quickly installed and completed to a high standard by Triflex Authorised Contractor, Concrete Repairs Limited (CRL).
PV installation
The Triflex solution provided flexibility in a changing world. The robust car park systems are designed for the toughest environments. The car park level 12 was subsequently identified for phase 1 of a PV panel installation. The 222 PV panels were installed by ZLC Energy Ltd, with a ballasted system that sat on top of the waterproofing layer without compromising its integrity. The new associated electrical plant and wiring was installed in cable trays that were also ballasted.
The PV panels currently provide some 90KW power to the car park with a longer-term goal to feed into the nearby Plymouth Guildhall cluster of buildings. There is additional space available to house further PV panels on level 12 of the car park for a planned second phase. With the wiring infrastructure already in place for expansion, any new energy supply can be efficiently integrated.
The installed Triflex car park surfacing system stands ready to provide outstanding waterproofing and protection under the PV panels static loads, or continue to be trafficked by vehicles parking as the future dictates. Whatever lies ahead Triflex offers long term waterproofing protection to the Theatre Royal car park.
