More than just a car park, the multi award-winning Australian Catholic University (ACU) Car Park Project ticks all the boxes; innovation, efficiency and smart design
Situated amongst the hustle and bustle of Sydney’s inner-west, the ACU Strathfield Campus Car Park project was undertaken in response to the growing student population. ACU Management proposed repurposing an existing football field to create 300+ parking spaces, and an upgrade to the existing facilities.
With space at a premium, the design requirements were simple; smart and agile. The roof of the car park was constructed as a 9,500m2 FIFA grade football field, incorporating a new hydraulically engineered cricket pitch to maximise floor space and guarantee use all year round.
An engineering feat, the arrangement of the cricket pitch designed into a post-tensioned concrete car park rooftop and accessible from below, has never been undertaken before, and was a bespoke element for this project. The suspended slab (or field base) was poured with constant falls for surface drainage between .80% and 1%. The slab was split into 4 pain pours with the largest pour being 800 cubic metres which was achieved using 3 concrete pumps from 3 different concrete plants.
Considerations for stormwater, drainage and tolerances all came into play before the project crossed the finished line earlier this year.
On these innovations alone, the ACU Car Park project has received industry accolades, including winning the Sports Surface Category at the 2019 National Sports Convention and two MBA Excellence in Construction Award categories; innovations in construction techniques, and Tertiary Buildings.
“As a project team, we’re really proud of the outcome of the ACU Car Park project. The project called for smart design, which required the team to be agile and dynamic across different roles and responsibilities. The client appreciated our flexible approach towards construction and were incredibly grateful for our efforts” Senior Project Manager, Kevin Gomez.
Watch the project come to life in record speed.
Fast Facts:
- 9,500m2 of playing surface
- 900m3 of concrete poured in one day
- 320 car park spaces
- 86 team members on site
- 387 soccer balls lost over the fence throughout construction