Flooring

Demand for convenient car parking is rising dramatically. However, the land available for parking is severely limited in many locations. This is making multi-storey car parks a very attractive option in city centres, near transport hubs, and at public buildings such as hospitals. To meet this demand in a cost-effective way, Kingspan, a leading building materials company, has developed a complete portfolio of solutions for car park builders. A key element is Magnelis® from ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products which Kingspan uses to form the deck of each level in the car park. As well as cost-effective forming and quick assembly, Magnelis® offers long-term protection against corrosion to ensure the safety and viability of parking structures.

The challenges of multi-storey car parks

Multi-storey car parks offer unique challenges for their owners. As well as providing safe and welcoming spaces for potential customers, they must withstand weathering from the elements – and the effect of de-icing salts and other chemicals which are tracked into the structure. Floors are particularly vulnerable due to the high level of moisture which enters the structure through its open sides or via rain and snow on vehicles. Moisture in the atmosphere typically condenses on the underside of the floor, making this part of the structure particularly susceptible to corrosion.

A complex product requires Magnelis®

To address these concerns, Kingspan has developed a multideck floor system based on Magnelis®. The system is quick to produce, lighter than alternative solutions, and simple to assemble on-site. “We create the deck panels by roll-forming the steel in our factory,” explains Phil Smith, Kingspan’s Managing Director for the UK and Ireland. “It is a complex product – the deck panels need to include cut-outs to ensure the concrete adheres to the steel. But Magnelis® is easy to form.”

In the final step, the ends of the Magnelis® deck panels are engineered to ensure that the concrete does not slip off as Phil Smith says: “The process involves crushing the ends of the panels slightly so that the concrete has a rough surface to adhere to. This is done about two to three weeks before the panels are installed.”

Once the steel decking panels are manufactured, they are transported to site and lifted into place. Concrete is then poured over the steel to form the deck. “In the past we have used pre-cast concrete slabs to form the deck, but this is costly,” notes Phil Smith. “Another option is to use pre-coated or galvanised steel, but the coatings on these materials are often damaged in handling, transport, and on-site. Magnelis® is the best and most cost-effective option as it does not damage easily during transport or handling on-site. And if it is damaged, the self-healing property of Magnelis® repairs any cuts or scratches that do occur.”

10-year guarantee a major advantage

A key advantage of Magnelis® for Kingspan is the guarantee ArcelorMittal can provide on request. Phil Smith explains: “By using Magnelis® we can offer a 10-year guarantee on our decks. That can be extended up to 20 years depending on the location of the car park and the thickness of the Magnelis® coating. Currently we use Magnelis® ZM310, but we are working with ArcelorMittal to test Magnelis® ZM430.”

Kingspan utilises ArcelorMittal’s technical support at all stages of the project. “We are quite often involved in projects where the environment is aggressive such as swimming pools, car parks, and installations which generate energy from waste,” says Phil Smith. “In these projects we involve ArcelorMittal during the design phase to ensure we are selecting the right materials. ArcelorMittal also organises R&D workshops to Kingspan to help us get the most from their offer.”

ArcelorMittal’s dedicated Client Technical Support (CTS) personnel also provide a direct link between the customer and the steelmaker. They connect the customer’s technical team to ArcelorMittal’s support and R&D teams to provide quick feedback and advice on technical questions.

Sustainability at every step

Kingspan offers a complete range of solutions for multi-storey car parks including the Magnelis® composite decks explains Phil Smith: “We also have barrier protection systems, perforated facades, and solar panels for the top floor so the car park can generate energy for lighting, ventilation, and electric vehicle charging points. Our goal is to create sustainable solutions at every stage. And steel is our material of choice to reach this goal.”

That commitment to sustainability has seen Kingspan switch both of its production centres in the UK to 100 percent renewable energy. Kingspan is also one of only 130 companies to make the CDP A-list (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project), a position the company has held since 2016.

About Kingspan

Kingspan is a global leader in high-performance insulation and building envelopes. Originally founded in Ireland in 1965, Kingspan now operates in over 70 countries around the world and employs more than 14 000 people. The company manufactures a range of complementary building envelope solutions for both the new build and refurbishment markets.

More info: www.kingspan.com/gb

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Images: Raised Floor Solutions

Related link(s)

Multi-storey car parks can accommodate a large number of vehicles in a relatively small space

Magnelis® can resist the corrosive effect of moisture which accumulates underneath each deck

Kingspan engineers the ends of each Magnelis® panel to ensure maximum adhesion of the concrete layer

Kingspan uses Magnelis® in their multi-storey car parks

Kingspan partnered with MetparkUK Ltd to install the Magnelis® decks in multi-storey car parks

Kingspan uses Magnelis® in their multi-storey car parks

Phil Smith, Managing Director of Kingspan in the UK and Ireland

Multi-storey car park banner

A multi-storey car park under construction in Manchester, UK

With our two newest Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for Hot rolled and Cold rolled steels, ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products is now the only flat products steel producer in the EU with a full set of EPDs for products and solutions, signalling our commitment to sustainable building.

Vital for sustainable building certifications

EPDs are crucial for sustainable building certifications like LEED, BREEAM, DGNB, BNB, or HQE and are now being introduced into national regulations for construction. EPDs explain the optimisation potential over the lifetime of their products to manufacturers who can utilise the information to conserve resources, resulting in a low impact built environment and life cycle cost-effectiveness.

The Institut Bauen und Umwelt - IBU

An EPD details the environmental effects of building products based on a life cycle assessment. It is created by the manufacturer and then reviewed by IBU (the Institut Bauen und Umwelt e. V.) on the basis of ISO 14025 and EN 15804.

ArcelorMittal Europe is a member of IBU and, through IBU, global recognition is ensured by their ECO Platform, an organisation of national EPD programme holders in Europe that promotes the cross-border recognition and application of EPDs.

Text: Constructalia
Images: ArcelorMittal Europe, Institut Bauen und Umwelt e. V.

We value our partners. We are proud to cooperate with the companies and institutions that count on ArcelorMittal's technical know-how and expertise in their mission to create innovative, sustainable, and value-added solutions for their key markets. As our partnerships continue to grow, so has our newest Constructalia section – Partners.

Steel for construction

Our high quality steels are the perfect base for the creation of elements or finished products for use in a wide scope of the construction market. From heavy plates to organic or metallic coated coils, our production portfolio meets the highest demands in terms of resistance, corrosion protection, and aesthetics.

Meet our partners utilising our extensive Granite® range or corrosion resistant Magnelis®: Blachdom Plus, Budmat, and Regamet in their roofing solutions; BUCON for their steel tanks; Metpol with their plasterboard solutions; Meteor Systems and Zimmermann in their horticultural and agricultural systems; and InQuik for their innovative bridges.

Discover: Metal Union’s application of our metallic coated steels in their profiles, Gagnepark’s usage of sections and Cofraplus® for their multi-storey car parks, and Matière’s patented bridges with our heavy plates.

Steel promotion

From partnerships with associations promoting steel as a building material to new technologies and construction solutions with steel – and everything in between – we work closely with our partners to disseminate knowledge about steel in construction.

A new addition to our Partners section is ConstruirAcier, who inform and advise architects, engineering offices, and investors on the economic and environmental challenges faced by steel in architecture.

Text: Constructalia
Images: Blachdom Plus, BUCON, ConstuirAcier, Gagnepark, Matière, Meteor Systems, Metpol

98 000m² is the size of the new Amazon logistics centre built and inaugurated in 2018 in Illescas, Spain with steel fibres from ArcelorMittal Bissen. The steel fibres were integrated into the flooring of the warehouse and are a key element in its durability. For Amazon, the design and construction of the pavement needed to be long-lasting, and it remains indispensable for arriving at a functional and flexible industrial building in the long term.

On solid ground

The floor of the logistics centre must be able to support important loads while meeting the criteria imposed by the new technologies being used there. This logistics centre uses robots that slide through the aisles to carry out work. ArcelorMittal’s TAB-Floor™ reinforced metal fibre paving solution has resulted in seamless joints with optimal electrostatic properties to eliminate interference with the robots, maximise travel, and avoid long-term maintenance expenses. In addition to these numerous technical advantages, the use of this solution offers significant reductions in CO2 being generated compared to those found in traditional warehouses.

Text: ArcelorMittal Luxembourg, Constructalia

Image: ArcelorMittal

Related link(s)

Amazon logistics centre with TAB-Floor ™ reinforced metal fibre paving solution

Amazon logistics centre

ArcelorMittal has sponsored a research project with The Council on Tall Building and Urban Habitat  (CTBUH) to improve the way floor areas in buildings are measured and the resulting new standard, IPMS 4, based on the actual ‘net carpet area’ is in the process of being accepted worldwide. This will benefit everyone involved in building construction from investors to the public.

Gross area vs. net area

When selling or renting a house or an apartment, real estate companies advertise the amount of available square metres with a purchasing price or the monthly rental cost. The amount that we need to pay on a per square metre basis is one of the most important factors when comparing properties and taking a decision.

But do you really know how these square metres are measured? Do you know what is included in the advertised 100 square metres and what is not? Are you sure this is the actual usable area, the so-called net carpet area? It could also be the gross area meaning that walls, balconies, columns, common areas, garages, lifts, etc. are all included. Some areas may even be weighted based on being shared with future neighbours.

What do you think? Next weekend why not spend some time calculating the exact usable areas in your lovely home and comparing it to what was in your contract? You will be surprised as the difference could be huge!

Why is it like this?

Today, there is no universal standard that explains how to measure the various areas in buildings. This is rather a strange situation. Owners and developers very nearly advertise what they want. Who really checks the area with a ruler before signing a contract?

The CTBUH has been recognised as the main arbiter of tall building height, having developed the international standards for measuring buildings and bestowing designations such as ‘The World’s Tallest Building’. The CTBUH is therefore the best organisation to monitor the creation of an international standard to measure the various areas in a building.

The correct measurement of all areas in a building is ideal not only for the occupants but also for the investors and the entire building industry. As such, everything linked to a ‘per square metre’ criterion can then be optimised, and every construction solution can be objectively compared for everyone’s benefit.

Energy consumption, maximum occupancy, lift capacity, air conditioning, and of course columns sizes - ArcelorMittal is proud to have sponsored this research with the CTBUH that will finally define all of the areas in a building accurately. This new standard, IPMS 4, based on the actual ‘net carpet area’, is in the process of being accepted worldwide. The huge columns in buildings will finally have to be optimised to minimise their sizes. Thanks to steel sections and especially HISTAR® (high strength steel), engineers will have the possibility to save valuable square metres compared to traditional concrete solutions. Until now, this saving of areas had never objectively been considered.

Click here to read more about the progress made in developing this globally accepted IPMS 4 standard.

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe
Photos: ArcelorMittal Europe

Related link(s)

Building surface measurements: Creation of an international standard

Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat - CTBUH website

Text: Tommaso Tirelli
Photos: ArcelorMittal Europe - Long Products, Azéma Architectes

The use of high strength steel for columns permits a reduction of their size and cladding has to ensure optimum ventilation, an essential fact when calculating fire saftety. Natural light is a key element for the users' comfort and perception of space but also crucial for the building's energy consumption. A car park is subjected to many functional requirements, but at the same time architectural aesthetics are becoming more and more important.

Structures

Car park columns may consist of hot-rolled "H" or tubular profile steel. The combined solution, with concrete between the H profile projections or as a filler in tubular instructions, may be adopted depending on the case. In principle, concrete between the projections does not contribute to the mechanical stability of the column, but provides heat protection at the core of the H.

In order to optimise the size of the pillars, it is recommendable to use grade S355 or S460. Columns are laid out every 5, 7.5, or 10 metres (every 2, 3, or 4 parking spaces respectively) and placed along the perimeter of the facades or at the back of the rows of stalls in a comb layout. The columns, which run continuously from the ground to the top of the car park, are anchored at the base and secured to the horizontal fixtures, in line with each floor, by a system of braces. This bracing action is also provided in the stairwells and lift shafts by reinforced concrete. The primary and secondary beams are hinged at the ends: secondary beams are type IPE, IPEA, or HEAA, with a span of 7.5 m to 16 m and spaced 2.5 m to 5 m apart.

Primary beams are typically produced from the ranges IPE400 and HEAA650, with spans of 5 m to 10 m and are generally oversized to guarantee fire resistance without protection. Beams and columns are subjected to galvanisation. Decks, connected with the beams to provide combined strength, may be of different types: combined load-bearing systems with fretted metal sheeting, beam-sheet connectors, structural reinforcement, and concrete casting. It is preferable to design the thickness and dimensions of the sheeting in such a way that it does not necessitate the use of casting supports. The capacity of the load-bearing sheet may be 3.3 m to 3.5 m (without supports) or 5 m depending on the layout of the columns and the primary and secondary beams. The intrados of the deck consist of galvanised or pre-coated steel. Another possible type of decking is pre-stressed slabs, adapted for 5 m loads. These may be prefabricated ready-to-use elements that do not require a final pavement coating. However, paving normally consists of a protective layer of resin, which is lighter than asphalt.

The weight of the steel structure, including access ramps, is typically between 38 and 45 kg/m2.

Facades

The above-ground steel open-plan multi-storey car park, thanks to the versatility of its metal structure, allows different options in terms of the facades, provided it offers a guaranteed free flow of air.

Ventilation must be ensured over at least 50% of the total surface of the outer shell and 5% of the deck surface area for each level. Depending on the location of the car park and its intended image, designers can choose from different materials such as metal grills or glass to convey an image of transparency and lightness, or use more substantive solutions with brick, cement, or wood.

The galvanised metal grill, as used in Aix-en-Provence, has proven to be a clean, simple, and economically appealing choice.

Elsewhere, architectural research has led to the adoption of 'added value' solutions, such as stainless steel mesh (Cologne airport car park) or straight or perforated steel sheeting. The Argoulets car park at the Toulouse Metro interchange uses a facade system consisting of micro-bored sheeting, which changes appearance in different lighting conditions: by night, lit from inside, the building's outer skin appears transparent; by day, the metal surfaces reflect the exterior surroundings.

The roof surface is used as a parking deck, and the principle of the roof as a 'fifth facade' is being increasingly diffused by architects. In the Aix-en-Provence car park, the roof is adorned by a crown of metal pergolas supported by a single central pillar, housing external lighting units. Other projects use roofs with photovoltaic panels to make the building energy self-sufficient or green roofs to facilitate the construction's incorporation into the urban context.

Structural fire resistance and standards

The evolution of technical standards for the structural design of buildings affords the possibility of evaluating fire safety by means of a complete analysis of structural behaviour in fire conditions. Recently, calculation models for evaluating structural safety in fire conditions have been calibrated by means of the analysis of a widespread campaign of experimental tests on full-scale open-structure car parks. In particular, results from the EU-funded research project 'Demonstration of Real Fire Tests in Car Parks and High Buildings' conducted over the period from 1998 to 2000, showed that this type of building may be designed with a steel structure, satisfying the minimum fire safety levels without the need to apply protective coatings.

The test in Vernon, France in particular began with analyses for selecting realistic fire scenarios (based on real fire statistics) in order to determine the thermal actions generated by burning cars and to establish the sections of structural elements to be subject to testing. During the tests, three cars were set alight; the resistance and deformity of the structure were then tested and the thermal release rate determined. The average temperature inside the car park remained relatively low; it reached higher levels in the vicinity of the burning cars (with a distribution over the deck section of between 600°C at the exposed intrados and 100°C at the extrados) and fell significantly moving away from the flames. There was no structural damage: any deformation of the beams was not significant enough to present a risk of collapse and the beams were restored to normal by cooling the metal frame.

The main hazard in this situation is the smoke that is released during the fire. With the results from the Vernon test, conducted on a complete, full scale open-plan parking structure, the advanced calculation models proposed by Eurocodes were validated and results were obtained from numerous simulations. In France, this has led to an evolution of fire safety standards: in addition to the 'traditional' approach, which uses the conventional ISO fire curve, it is possible to justify the fire resistance of a ventilated open-plan car park structure with the fire engineering method. The heat acting on the structure and the temperatures are calculated based on fire scenarios (approved by the competent authorities) following advanced or more simplified methods of calculation.

The fire resistance calculation of all elements must first obtain a positive review by an accredited laboratory before they can be installed on-site. Since there are numerous design parameters for a car park (structural grid, height, etc.), designers can use a guide edited by CTICM which gives general recommendations on project conception.

The introduction of specific standards into French legislature in 2004 and 2006 in fact paved the way for the creation of non-protected steel car parks, which demonstrate economic and feasible convenience compared to solutions using traditional materials. A study conducted on the first installations revealed that the cost of metal framework and decking makes up 50% of the total cost and that the average construction time is 4-5 months.

In Germany, the market for steel-structured above-ground car parks has been flourishing for many years, with no special fire resistance R necessary for structures.

In Italy, as in other EU member states, fire safety regulations today are in evolution and oriented, in accordance with Directive 106/89/CEE (6), towards European regulations, where "prescription" matches "performance". Three new ministerial decrees, of 16 February 2007, 9 March 2007, and 9 May 2007, among other provisions, identified Eurocodes as the reference regulations for fire resistance tests. These decrees also introduced the concept of 'project fire load' and calculation according to an engineering and performance-based approach in conformity with the Eurocodes. Further studies into the performance-based approach for calculating above-ground parking structures are today underway within the scope of projects by the Commission for the Fire Protection of Structural Steel, founded based on the initiative by the Fondazione Promozione Acciaio with participation from the Italian Interior Ministry.

Related link(s)

Detail of the car park facade

Argoulets Car Park: ramp and inner cladding with Mascaret profile

Argoulets Car Park at the Toulouse Metro interchange