LYSAGHT W-DEK® Accelerates Parking Station Construction

Location:	Adelaide, South Australia
Country:	Australia
Project Size:	16,000 square metres of 0.75mm LYSAGHT W-DEK®
Fabricator:	Theo Samaras Steel Fabrication
Products Used:	LYSAGHT W-DEK®

An Adelaide steel fabrication and building company will add the operation of another commercial car park to its list of accomplishments when its latest project is completed just in time for the Christmas rush.

Theo Samaras Steel Fabrication has extensive experience in multi-storey car park construction and operation in Adelaide. It has also established a reputation for innovation in its field.

Now the company's principal, Theo Samaras, is turning those advantages to good use at the 600 vehicle Gilles Street Auto Park he is building on the corner of King William Street at the southern end of Adelaide's CBD.

"This company's success in a competitive industry has depended on our ability to identify and use new building technology where it offered good results for building owners, as well as construction efficiencies for the trades involved," Mr Samaras said.

"The Gilles Street Auto Park is a good example of that approach. Our structural engineers, Wallbridge and Gilbert, were briefed by BlueScope Lysaght prior to the launch of LYSAGHT W-DEK®. Because of the advantages which it offered, we made the decision to incorporate it into the project."

The life of an innovator is not always easy however, and Theo Samaras Steel Fabrication initially found difficulty securing what it regarded as reasonable quotes from formwork contractors to install the new decking.

"This was the first major project in Adelaide to use LYSAGHT W-DEK®, so there was a reluctance to work with something new. I overcame that hurdle by hiring my own formworkers and the results have made me glad that I persisted."

BlueScope Lysaght delivered nearly 16,000 square metres of 0.75mm LYSAGHT W-DEK® direct to the construction site.

"The whole delivery process was handled very well," Theo Samaras said. "Trucks arrived at the CBD site at 6.30am, were unloaded and on their way again to avoid peak hour traffic disruption. Initially we installed 300 square metres as a trial because we were ordering the decking in 8.5 metre lengths and there was concern about the ease of lifting the sheets. As it turned out, there were no problems."

"In fact my experience with LYSAGHT W-DEK® has been completely positive. The profile is deep and strong and gives confidence to the formworkers because it doesn't have the springiness under foot that some decking gives. We were working on 2.8 metre spans, because that's how the plans were originally drawn when another decking product was proposed, but I am aware that we could have achieved larger spans if they were required which would have resulted in extra savings."

"LYSAGHT W-DEK® is designed to reduce requirements for structural support beams and has been tested and developed in our NATA approved laboratories in conjunction with leading Australian universities for un-propped spans in excess of four metres," says BlueScope Lysaght's Business Development Manager SA/NT and Engineer, Laurie Andrews.

Theo Samaras said that his formworkers were able to install the decking quickly despite their lack of experience with the profile.

"At 700mm LYSAGHT W-DEK® is wider than alternatives and our formworkers liked the way the sheets lock together positively to create laps with no chance of concrete spillage. With Adelaide's winter weather it is also important to be able to provide cover as quickly as possible to allow the work to continue," he said. "We were rapidly in a position to carry out concrete pours on multiple floors."

LYSAGHT W-DEK® was developed specifically for Australian conditions by BlueScope Lysaght's world class research and development team, Lysaght Technology. Steel formwork requires less propping than traditional ply formwork, and there is no stripping, which reduces material handling on site, leading to faster installation and reduced cycle times.

Constructed of high-tensile Australian steel, LYSAGHT W-DEK® spans distances up to 40 per cent more than traditional re-entrant systems. Its unique "w" shaped profile has been designed specifically for its spanning capability. The trapezoidal profile of LYSAGHT W-DEK® forms voids when concrete is poured, resulting in excellent concrete displacement and an advantage over conventional ply formwork.

Calculations by researchers have shown a significant reduction in concrete usage. For a 130mm slab only 90mm of concrete is required. The 30 per cent reduction represents a substantial saving, particularly on large projects.

Theo Samaras is already planning his company's next development and his initial experience with LYSAGHT W-DEK® is prompting him to use it again. "It's perhaps not so significant for a car park, but as well as all its performance advantages, the LYSAGHT W-DEK® strong profile also gives a very attractive look to the underside of the deck," he said.

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