Donegall Quay multi-storey car park, Belfast

Donegall Quay multi-storey car park (MSCP) is located in Belfast City Centre facing the Queen Elizabeth Bridge. The 280-space car park is over 7-floors with an open-top roof and integral in construction with Laganside Bus Centre at ground floor level. Laganside Bus Station replaced old bus stations at Smithfield and Oxford Street. The car park and bus station development is owned by Translink.

The building was constructed in 1996 and is a precast concrete framed structure with reinforced precast concrete ‘Omnia’ slabs spanning onto precast concrete cross- beams.

Over the years’ various repair works had been carried out, some of which were failing. In recent years, a Cathodic Protection system was installed in the concrete floor plates.

Amphora were appointed to carry out a structural durability condition inspection together with a suite of durability non-destructive concrete tests on the car park structural frame and facade.

A cover metre survey was conducted using an electromagnetic cover-metre and the compressive strength of the concrete was obtained from off-site testing of concrete cores.

Random dust samples were taken from the concrete cores and sent to a laboratory to determine the chloride content of the concrete. Evaluation of carbonation penetration depth was carried out in-situ at a number of locations using a phenolphthalein indicator.

Carbonation ingress was found to be the main driver of corrosion noticed in the structure and was predominant in the frame on levels 3 & 4.

Amphora Consulting proposed a number of repair and treatment options to the client with a detailed repair specification. Amphora also proposed the development of a Life-Care Plan for the car park introducing a planned preventative maintenance regime to be taken forward.