Special Project: Fidelity Kingswood Multi-Storey Car Park

British Parking Awards 2024

FIL Investment Management is a leading provider of financial services. The company headquarters are at the Kingswood Fields campus in the Borough of Reigate & Banstead, Surrey. When it came to commissioning additional parking for the campus site, a decision was taken that rather than build a new one multi-storey, an existing structure would be retained, refurbished and expanded.

The three-span, three-storey precast concrete car park was built in 1998. It was decided that a new steel and concrete deck should be built over-spanning the existing concrete structure, together with a new four-storey side extension which required excavating into the existing embankment and providing a contiguous piled retaining wall on two sides. Short bridges would link the new car park to the existing car park.

No future additional loadings were allowed for in the original precast design. meaning that the new deck needed to be supported on columns founded at ground level around the perimeter of the existing structure.

Bourne Parking’s lightweight Montex system was selected for the superstructure. The extension to the Fidelity Kingswood car park has turned out to be one of the most complex projects Bourne Parking has ever undertaken.

Adding to the complexity was the fact that the car park footprint lies within an ancient woodland and required careful management throughout the build sequence in line with the strict planning and environmental constraints.

The modular Montex frame and floor system was adapted to provide a bespoke solution that could fit in and around the existing concrete three-storey car park.

The parking layout and circulation routes follow the existing logic of internal ramps connecting the separate decks as they step down the hillside. The new upper decks and increased capacity required the addition of four new staircases, constructed with lightweight steel frames to minimize the impact on the immediate environment.

As main turnkey contractor for the project, the scope of works Bourne delivered also included heated vehicle ramps, anodised aluminium fins to the elevations, a new electrical substation to power 40 EV chargepoints and the complete strip-out and replacement of the M&E.

The scheme comprises 778 tonnes of structural steelwork and 6,800m2 of Montex floor planks.

The footprint area of the car park before works began was 3,241m2. Upon completion of works, the footprint saw an increase to 4,919m2.

There are 725 standard spaces, which include 39 electric vehicle charging bays. The existing spaces remain at 2.3 wide x 4.8m long, with the new parking deck accommodating for today’s larger vehicles at 2.4m wide x 4.8m long. The car park layout provides a simple, user-friendly circulation route with one-way traffic flow.

The shape, arrangement and colour of the cladding (anodised aluminium fins) uses a woodland colour palette which is respectful of its surroundings. The car park has a strong vertical emphasis, with a layered approach that adds depth and variety to the façades, combining openness with a homogenous overall
appearance.

The vision for the vertical fins was to blend in with the surrounding trees, to mimic the stature of tree trunks. In the original concept, they contained a woodgrain effect, but the decision was made to remain with brown, randomly placed vertical fins to resemble the natural effects of the neighbouring woodland.

The construction process

The suspended parking deck structure combines a bespoke galvanised steel frame with quality, pre-finished concrete slabs. The main clear span column grids are 6.9-metres on the external elevations and 6.9-metres on the internal spine line. Minimum clear headroom throughout the car park, including for tolerance and deflection, is 2.1-metres but vehicles are restricted to 2-metres headroom due to the existing structure.

The new structure was built with the minimum clearance of 2.1 metres to provide a more open and less claustrophobic feel. The intention to make the car park feel less enclosed, and lighter and airier. The main columns are designed to withstand vehicle impact loads without the requirement for additional protection.

The elevation treatment comprises of anodised aluminium fins. The aluminium fins are fixed to the structural frame via galvanised steel horizontal box section rails at typically 2-metre vertical centres.

The stairs are solid galvanised balustrades which provide a continuous ribbon effect from the outside.

The project uses Bourne’s Montex Clear Span precast modular frame technology, providing a modern, safe, user-friendly car park. The car park building comprises a galvanised structural steel frame with Montex concrete floor slabs.

Typically, the Montex slab is most efficient on a 2.4-metre wide module, but part of the challenge for Bourne Parking was that the existing 1998 car park was built on a 2,300mm module, that is, the parking bays were 2,300mm wide. The new car park was to be built with spaces 2,400mm wide. These two sizes do not readily modulise themselves. Further challenges were presented by needing the new ramps to line up with the existing ramps. However, the Bourne Parking Montex system is flexible enough to adapt around all the fixed points and varying Montex widths were easily accommodated.

The Montex slabs are provided with three different surface finishes to the top of the slab (tamped, brushed and trowelled), dependent on location within the car park.

The parking floors are served by four independent flat-roofed stair towers, providing pedestrian access from the grade level to all parking decks, with steel plate treads, risers and landings. Three sides are wrapped in bespoke precast concrete wall units, with the open face closed off with grey PPC steel mesh.

A dye was used in the precast concrete wall units, producing a bespoke colour effect in line with the surroundings.

Stairs 1 & 2 are near the existing trees and to minimise the amount of piling adjacent to tree roots. Bourne eliminated any blockwork, and the stair cores are capped with a flat steel roof.

The over-deck to the existing car park is finished with a high-performance polymer modified asphalt waterproofing system, providing a durable finish.

Vehicle circulation paths

The parking layout and circulation routes follow the existing logic of internal ramps connecting the separate decks as they step down the hillside. The new upper decks and increased capacity required the addition of four new staircases, constructed with lightweight steel frames to minimise the impact on the immediate environment. The four new staircases have replaced the existing open means of escape that were unsuitable for the larger car park scheme.

Car park operation

This is a private car park in a secure location, where no payment system is required. Parking is free of charge.

There are 39 electric vehicle charging bays – 15 on the top deck and a 24 on the campus. In refurbishing the car park itself, we took away 6 spaces, leaving 33 in total.

Disabled parking and parking for motorcyclists and cyclists was not required as it is provided at another location close to the main reception, away from the car park.

There are direct pedestrian routes between the car park and the Fidelity Kingswood Campus. Further footways and footpaths are provided to ensure ease of movement.

Internal pedestrian walkways are also clearly marked throughout the car park.

Balustrades to the four stair towers are comprised of galvanised steel plates giving the effect of a continuous ribbon when viewed from the outside.

The car park does not employ on-site staff and there is no storage room. All facilities are within the main FIL building.

The Kingswood MSCP is covered by FIL’s existing management and campus security team. Emergency lighting is provided on all escape routes and areas as required by Building Regulations.

CCTV was installed by the client’s own framework contractor. Bourne Parking provided the containment routes and the builder’s work associated with the installation of the new system.

The car park was provided with a Category M fire alarm system which includes manual call points at all exits. The system terminates at the main fire alarm panel within the ground floor riser, with a fibre-link back to the main facilities and security office in the main FIL building.

The car park uses a low energy smart LED lighting system. The car park is activated by PIR (Passive Infra-Red) sensors which dim down the lighting levels when no activity is sensed, thereby saving power.

Environmental considerations

The site footprint is within an ancient woodland and required careful management throughout the build sequence in line with strict planning and environmental constraints.

Due to existing root protection areas and the adjacent historic woodland, limited foundations were positioned outside of the existing building footprint. In order to minimise damage to tree roots, piles in these areas were designed as ‘free heads’ and thus capable of withstanding moments in the permanent condition.

The building is clad in durable, easily maintainable materials which tonally and texturally blend with the environment.

Much of the site is covered by a Tree Protection Order and large areas adjacent to the development were designated Ancient and Semi-Natural Woodland, that is to say that the area has been continually wooded for at least 400 years. The campus also lies within land designated as Metropolitan Green Belt Land and Area of Great Landscape Value. The north and west parts of the campus are also designated a Site of Nature Conservation Importance. The new development required construction activities to be undertaken within the 15m buffer zone of the Ancient Woodland.

Ordinarily, this development would have been rejected as being an ‘inappropriate development’ within the Metropolitan Green Belt but the planning authority agreed there were “very special circumstances” as defined by the National Planning Policy Framework, in that the “harm resulting from the proposal is clearly outweighed by the benefits.”

The planning permission required 108 new trees, a net gain in biodiversity and a new woodland management plan. Other benefits to the local area included contributions to economic growth, support to a local business, additional job creation and a shuttle bus service to avoid on-street parking.

The Arboricultural Plan required excavations within the 15m buffer zone to be kept to an absolute minimum. To achieve this, services were to be routed above ground and stair core slabs were to be suspended on a grillage of beams. Whilst the existing structure was supported on large pad foundations, the new structure was to employ small diameter piles and minimal sized pile caps to limit the footprint of the excavation.

A number of mature oak trees had associated root protection areas assigned to them which meant all excavations within these RPA’s were conducted by hand and under supervision of an arboriculturist for the first metre depth of excavation.

These environmental challenges presented Bourne Parking with one of its most complex design and build projects to date.

In order to enhance the biodiversity value of the site and the surrounding area, one hedgehog house, four bat boxes and seven bird nest boxes have been placed at various locations around the site.

With the help of a landscape architect working with FIL, Cornish artist Ben Barrell was commissioned to sculpt a number of granite aggregate pebble seats. They are designed, solid cast and polished to achieve the look and feel of real stone and are an eye-catching and functional addition to the aesthetic that FIL were aiming for.

These pebble seats are dotted around the campus for the staff of FIL to enjoy.

Signage

All statutory signage, manufactured with vinyl lettering to the relevant British Standard, was provided. This includes a replacement of the existing signage to the entrance of the car park, as well as internal signage.

Both statutory and wayfinding signage has been incorporated into the MSCP. Pedestrian walkways are clearly marked in a contrasting colour across all decks to guide pedestrians to the main core and deter them from walking in the middle of drive aisles.

Emergency escape signs are illuminated and parking bays, wayfinding arrows and pedestrian walkways are clearly marked on each floor with white thermoplastic on asphalt surfaces. On intermediate floors we used black epoxy line markings on a plain concrete surface.

Maintenance

The structural frame and floor configuration requires minimal maintenance due to the robust nature of the materials used. The Galvaniser’s Association Millennial Map gives the coating on the steel frame a design life of 85 years. The facilities management team were provided with training in the operation of the car park systems.

The operation and maintenance of the building has been explicitly described in the handover documents and include maintenance instructions for drainage, roads and paving, waterproofing, steel frames, signage, stairways and fire escapes, doors, finishes, and mechanical and electrical installations.

The car chargers operate on a 3G system which allows the user to purchase electricity via an app.

Power is supplied from a power generator located next to the car park.

Winner’s Words

Karl Butters (Bourne Parking): “We won this award because of the sustainability we’ve built and, over an existing car park in a ancient woodland. The team that worked on the scheme did very well. This is the second time we’ve won a British Parking Award. We won one back in 2021 for a scheme at Hatfield.”

The British Parking Awards

Created and presented by Parking Review magazine, the British Parking Awards are an independent competition. The awards recognise the leading examples of car park management, enforcement, design and team work.

The British Parking Awards 2024 ceremony took place at the Royal Lancaster London on 13 September.

Read and download the 2025 WINNERS EDITION of PARKING REVIEW by clicking HERE

To find out more about the competition and next year’s event check out the official website.
www.britishparkingawards.uk