The partial collapse of Wolverhampton's Pipers Row car park in 1997 triggered several initiatives concerning the safety of concrete in multi-storey car parks.
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) responded by forming a national steering committee (NSC), responsible for producing recommendations for the inspection, maintenance and management of car park structures.
A resulting key recommendation was that a life-care plan (LCP) should be produced for each structure. An LCP is a statement of the present and predicted condition of the car park, based on regular inspection, structural assessment and maintenance needs.
It also sets out a management strategy for achieving long-term serviceability and safety, with minimum cost and disruption.
The Halcrow approach to life care plans for car-park structures involves:
- initial review of documentation
- condition survey including visual inspection and on-site testing and sampling
- laboratory testing of samples
- structural appraisal
- preparation of initial LCP review documents detailing prioritized maintenance and repair actions
- development of the final LCP