Dorset County Hospital is located just outside Dorchester town centre.
This modern hospital provides a full range of district general services, including an accident and emergency department, and links with satellite units in five community hospitals. As the main provider of acute hospital services to a population of around 300,000, ample parking space is required at all times. It was decided that a multi-storey car park (MSCP) should be built to keep pace with demand. Due to new and stricter public regulations combined with the desire for aesthetic freedom, the task presented several challenges.
The design and construction of multistorey car parks are receiving a lot of attention in the UK. It gives status to develop aesthetic garages and prizes are awarded every year for the best MSCP architecture – RMIG Solutions has contributed to many significant projects within this field.
At the same time, the regulations and legislation for MSCPs are being tightened all the time in the UK. This applies to the guidelines for light and ventilation, and to a large extent to the rules for fire safety.
RMIG Solutions joined the project at an early stage and their experience and expertise within this field was a great advantage, enabling those involved to find the best possible solution.
After a public vote, three images from the beautiful Dorset countryside had been selected for illustration on the facade, and had to be processed so that the perforated pattern creating the images could meet the requirements for open areas for light and ventilation.
The images were successfully processed and the results were remarkable! Through a bit of wizardry, it was possible to change the photos to landscape format and at the same time let in light and air for the users. This made it possible to merge the creative wishes of the architects with what was technically possible. It is always a compromise when it comes to MSCPs, but even though ventilation requirements reduce the contrast in the images, they still stand out and give residents a great impression of the Dorset landscapes.
Finally, numbers could be stamped directly on each element in the production line so there was never any doubt as to where and in what order they should be installed.
This made the on-site mounting process much easier.
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TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Size of the project: 3,400 m²
Material: Novelis ff3® coil-coated aluminium
Pattern: RMIG ImagePerf
Thickness: 3.0 mm
Finishing operation: Bending