VW dealership update 2: Precast Modular Boxes

Frame to the car park areas under construction

Longcross Construction and PCE Ltd teamed up during the tender process to develop a BIM based innovative and tender winning solution in terms of structural design, quality and speed of construction that they realised would appeal to the leading innovative engineering car manufacturer.

Due to the different use requirements of the structure PCE Ltd’s design process was critical in ensuring that a variety of precast concrete solutions were chosen. This enabled the removal of a central row of columns included in the original design to ensure that the resultant construction will give Volkswagen improved internal space layouts together with excellent finishes where the concrete frame is exposed.

Focus: Precast Modular Boxes

Forming the frame of the car park area, the precast boxes (illustrated) will reduce both construction time and help prevent health and safety issues.

The design features a special modular box system for the three precast cores, moving away from the conventional flat pack system and speeding up the build process. It also includes a precast column and beam frame using the Contiframe concept, delta beams and hollowcore flooring. PCE Ltd is using LR1130 and LR1160 crawler cranes from its own fleet. The overall scheme will involve the installation of approximately 1,500 precast concrete units. Quality of manufacture was important to ensure that all the components not only met the structural and visual needs, but also could be easily offloaded and erected without any potential fit problems delaying the erection programme. All of the individual precast concrete components needed to comply with the stringent specification requirements of PCE Ltd who closely monitored all of the production at the various factories as it proceeded.