Withywood Community Centre Car Park

Project Brief

As a community project, the Client's brief specified delivery of a scheme that was as sustainable as possible with minimal impact on the local environment. Construction of the car park was a major element of a new purpose built Community Centre, a community-led design and build project opened in November 2006. 

Design 

The design team comprised representatives from the South Bristol Church and Community Trust, the local Primary Care Trust, the Hartcliffe and Withywood Community Partnership and Bristol City Council. Funding for the project was secured from European grants, Bristol City Council and local charities.

Quattro Design, architectural specialists in residential, community, health and education projects, were contracted to design the Centre.

Design collaboration between all stakeholders resulted in a number of environmentally focused design features for the Centre.

At the Withywood Centre, the TarmacDry system incorporates an in-built weir system, which forms part of the reservoir layer and provides an increased level of storage capacity. In addition, inlet pipes transfer rainwater from the 2,500m2 roof of the community centre into the porous pavement.

The Centre has the opportunity to draw from the collected and stored grey water supplies and, amongst other uses, water their landscaped areas.

Tarmac were involved during all phases of design and construction.

At design stage, Tarmac proposed the exact depth of supporting porous subbase and the porous asphalt. This was based on knowledge of the subgrade, volume of anticipated traffic loading, surface area of the car park and the volume of water to be stored. Tarmac also gave advice regarding the type of impermeable membrane to be used and the number and size of weirs within the aggregate reservoir. 

Prior to construction of the Centre, Tarmac was involved in the programming and planning stage of the overall Project. This early input successfully minimised the potential damage to the system caused by the other construction activities. Tarmac was programmed to attend site during the closing three weeks of the build programme with the final surfacing not being laid until all other activities were complete.

Upon commencement of the car park, Tarmac completed
the following activities:

• Installation of the impermeable membrane
• Placement of the porous subbase to the designed levels
• Construction of concrete weirs with integraloverflow pipes
• Construction of drainage runs connected into the reservoir from the building's rainwater system
• Construction of a controlled discharge chamber and outfall into the existing main drainage system.
• Machine laid porous asphalt layers by a combination of tracked and wheeled paving machines
  

Local Sourced Materials 

All TarmacDry materials were sourced from local Tarmac quarries. In keeping with the sustainable theme of the Project there was no need to haul specialist materials from
other parts of the UK. Approximately 1000 tonnes of subbase was supplied from Tarmac's Durnford Quarry in Long Ashton, Bristol and 600 tonnes of porous asphalt was supplied from Tarmac's Stancombe Quarry in Flax Bourton. Both locations are less than four miles
from the Withywood Centre.

Aftercare and Maintenance

Aftercare and maintenance issues were also considered and addressed. Prior to leaving site Tarmac carried out a pressurised clean to a small area of the car park that had been overly silted by the adjacent building construction work.

Tarmac also issued an aftercare maintenance and repair guidance document to the Client.

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