Car park with a system

Multi-storey car parks have become an integral part of our city centres. Apart from their functionality, it is their user-friendliness that is the key aspect. This was also the case for the patient and visitor car park built for the Euregio Clinic in Nordholm (Lower Saxony).

Around 500 parking spaces are located on four parking decks with a total effective surface of 16,000 m². The modern steel building was constructed using prefabricated components and was operational after a construction period of only 6 months. The investor of the five-million-euro project is the 'Grafschafter Parkraum Management GmbH', which is a subsidiary of Bentheim Railway (Bentheimer Eisenbahn AG) and operates several car parks in the region. “It is an amazing investment that will greatly impact the hospital location,” says Reinhold Hilbers, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the BE AG.

Right from the outset it was clear that, in a hospital car park, user-friendliness is a factor that requires special attention. For this reason, the firm responsible for the planning, 'Lindschulte Ingenieure + Architekten', consulted the ADAC with respect to their guidelines for user-friendly car parks. A parking space size of 2.60 m x 5.35 m was defined, which is 30 cm wider than the width required by the minimum specifications. The diagonal arrangement of the parking slots, as well as the very good visibility within the parking area facilitates the parking process - not only for individuals with joint disorders.

The facility is equipped with six disabled parking spaces, six mother-and-child parking spaces as well as two e-charging stations with four parking spaces nearby. In addition to the open construction typical for multi-storey car parks that provides natural ventilation and maximum utilization of daylight, intensive interior lighting creates an increased sense of security. The parking decks are connected via an external spiral ramp. Two stairwells and a lift have been integrated for pedestrians.

The storey ceilings consist of pre-fabricated trapeze steel sections that were reinforced with in-situ concrete after their assembly. "This building method combines the advantages of steel and concrete as construction materials: short construction periods and low self-weight." says Christian Flertmann, Director of Astron Buildings GmbH. For the individual design of the facade, decorative green and yellow metal rods were used. These give the building a modern appearance and allow maximum influx of daylight.

Another useful concept included in the construction of this multi-storey car park, was the storage of rain water: During severe weather, rain water falling on the upper parking deck is channelled down to the lowest level and stored in honeycomb-shaped water reservoirs.

Jürgen Thau, Director of the Euregio Clinic sums up as follows: the result was achieved in a "constructive and targeted" manner. The ground-breaking ceremony was in July and the official opening took place in the very same year. The new patient and visitor car park in Nordholm is a visually impressive building, with an emphasis on user-friendliness. For Mayor Thomas Berling the building is not only an asset for the hospital, but for the cityscape as a whole. "We've achieved our aim - the city has become even more like a city", he declared during the opening ceremony.