Carparks are functional structures that are not normally known for their aesthetic beauty! The key consideration is making the structure safe, through balustrades, enclosures and other features.
But when there are plans for a new carpark or for an upgrade of an older one, there is no reason that the facade can’t be pleasing to the eye as well as safe.
This is what happened with two recent carpark facade design projects Tensile was involved in. Here’s how we went about it.
Thomas Street car park Dandenong – a retrofit
Upgrades were needed to bring this carpark up to recent building safety codes. Enclosing the car park was decided against, as it would have required structural changes, be an expensive exercise, and required installation of a costly air exchange system.
Instead, Tensile’s webnet mesh was selected to create a light and airy safety barrier with visual appeal. It took only three weeks to wrap the whole facade of the car park in the mesh – without any need for structural changes or temporary closure of the facility.
Randwick Racecourse carpark – a new construction
This project involved creating a webnet facade for a new three-level carpark that provides pedestrian links to other areas of the racecourse.
Safety and fall protection is provided by the webnet facade, while a series of coloured disks by Shapeshift add an artistic and playful touch to the structure. This demonstrates how a carpark can be functional, comply with building codes, and have a ‘pretty face’ as well!
The versatility of webnet
These two projects demonstrate the flexibility of webnet mesh. The beauty of this material is the way it can be used to wrap around many kinds of structures – even those that are ‘odd’ in shape such as children’s playgrounds and so on. It is also incredibly strong and able to withstand huge loads – including that of large crowds.
If you would like to know more about webnet and how it could be utilised in your project, feel free to get in touch with our team or check out our projects.
