CARPARK DRAINAGE DESIGN SOLUTIONS

When constructing a carpark, being aware of the hazards that can negatively impact users and vehicles can help create a better facility. For architects and designers, knowing the potential risks in these types of commercial spaces improves not only the end result but ensures surface longevity and better maintenance outcomes down the road.

Specifying safe, flat pavements that mitigate hazards comes down to a few simple factors. ACO helps the professionals understand those challenges and meet them head-on with a range of viable drainage solutions. Such challenges can include:

WATER PONDING
Water ponding occurs when water collects on an uneven surface instead of draining away. This process becomes problematic during heavy or sustained rainfall, making navigation more difficult, and potentially dangerous, for carpark users.

One of the principal causes of this situation is a poorly integrated drainage system – often in the form of a grated pit and pipe system that is reliant on pavement gradients. While a number of grates are often spread out over a carparks surface, with each pit featuring a gradient to allow for water runoff, they can often become blocked or insufficient for runoff due to a gradient shift caused by pavement settling.

RUNAWAY TROLLEYS
A frequent hazard in carparks around the country is the dreaded runaway shopping trolley. Uneven surfaces and gradient variations create peaks and valleys that can lead a trolley to careen out of control before coming to a stop – usually when it hits a car or a pedestrian.  While trolleys are easily manoeuvred on flat, smooth floor, a fully-loaded shopping trolley on an uneven surface can cause a great deal of damage if it cannot be controlled.

SLIPS AND FALLS
Slips and falls are the most common form of injury sustained due to uneven or unstable surfaces. The resulting injuries can then impact various sectors of society: time taken off work, compensation awarded to the injured party, and legal costs experienced by the responsible parties/business. Carparks present an added danger in this regard, because falls created by uneven surfaces or sunken drainage grates can propel users into immovable objects or the path of an oncoming car, greatly increasing the severity of possible injuries, and in turn financial fallout from the event.

POTENTIAL LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS
From a legal perspective, the areas of responsibility are clear. If someone is injured in a carpark, and it could have been prevented, the facilities owner may face severe financial consequences. Under certain circumstances, a designer or architect can also be held responsible for injuries sustained. Therefore, carparks need to be designed without the potential for pedestrian or vehicle hazards with the installation of the correct drainage system, which also needs to be regularly maintained.

THE ACO SOLUTION
Installing a drainage system suited to the project’s requirements and site conditions is the best way to prevent water and slip hazards in any carpark construction. Compared to other drainage types, like grated pit and pipe systems, ACO drainage systems are superior in hydraulic performance, water collection, heel safety and ease of installation and maintenance.

ACO drainage products are well-suited to large-scale carpark projects, and, to help designers keep pavements level, ACO Drain channels can be assembled to produce sloped runs.

Visit ACO's website to find out more about their five effective drainage design principles for the development of pedestrian safe pavements.

CASE STUDIES
When Cockburn Gateway Shopping Centre underwent an $80 million expansion, the designers requested a drainage system that would allow stormwater runoff to be collected on the promenade and adjacent carpark, away from the shopping precinct. ACO provided the KlassikDrain K100 with Iron Wave Heelsafe® Anti-Slip grates, a threshold linear drain that would ensure safety for pedestrians and is easy to maintain. 

To find out more about the Cockburn Gateway Shopping Centre project CLICK HERE

Looking for a carpark that would service their customers safely, the designers for the Hungry Jacks in Burnie, Tasmania, chose a trench drainage system to meet their requirements. Located at the end of the carpark, the KlassikDrain K200 system with Iron Intercept Galvanised Heelsafe^® Anti-Slip grates includes a one-way fall that prevents water from flowing on the road beyond the carpark.

To find out more about the Burnie Hungry Jacks project CLICK HERE

No matter your site drainage needs, ACO has a solution that will ensure safe water management. To view the full range of ACO drainage products visit www.heelsafe.com.au or speak to a knowledgeable professional on 1300 765 226.