Latest News: Use of Sheet Piling in Underground Basements and Car Parks

September 21st, 2020

Use of Sheet Piling in Underground Basements and Car Parks

Basements and car parks are increasingly adding value to properties, with planning applications from British homeowners for the former having increased by 183%. Meanwhile, enquiries from developers in urban spaces regarding underground car park construction continue to rise. Steel sheet piles are an excellent choice for such developments and, at Sheet Piling (UK) Ltd, we provide cost-effective solutions for sheet pile basements that will ensure successful and speedy execution of all projects.

Sheet Pile Basements

As a leader in the market for expert design and construction of steel-intensive sheet pile basements, Sheet Piling (UK) Ltd offers the innovative solution of permanent sheet pile retaining walls for underground basement construction. Following a consultation with our team of expert engineers, clients, developers and contractors usually opt for permanent steel sheet piling solutions over concrete structures, due to a number of benefits.

Sheet Pile Basements
Sheet Pile Basements Car Parks

 

Sheet piling offers significant cost benefits over traditional reinforced concrete basements – a winning factor for those on a budget. Even in the most restrictive locations, Sheet Piling UK (Ltd) guarantees safe and efficient installation of sheet piles, due to significant investments being made into specialist equipment such as silent and vibrationless hydraulic pile pressing systems.

Durability is another advantage of using steel sheet piling. Strong structural integrity and impressive quality means that sheet piles won’t deform during the installation process, or be affected by the subsequent earth pressures. With a high load-carrying capacity and watertight wall/basement slab connections, sheet piles require minimal maintenance once installed.

Sheet Piles for Car Park Construction

Another occasion where hot-rolled, steel sheet pile sections are ideal is in the construction of underground car parks. Again, they provide a budget-friendly and cost-efficient alternative to concrete walls. Although underground car parks usually use sheet piles as a temporary wall, with a permanent concrete wall subsequently being installed. However steel sheet piles as a permanent solution has proven to be a more economically and environmentally suited option. In urban areas where lack of space is often a cause for concern, steel sheet piles are an apt solution for maximising available space.

Sheet Piling - Underground Car Parks
Steel Intensive Basements

 

To reduce construction time, steel sheet piling enables work to be carried out from the top down, rather than bottom up. This means contractors can simultaneously work above and below the ground. Steel sheet pile sections also have vertical load bearing capacity meaning that considerable loads can be transferred from the structure above, to the soil below. This is an added bonus for project stakeholders.

For watertight underground spaces – a must-have for apartment owners who are paying high prices for their properties – steel sheet piles are an essential but hidden resource. Seal-welding the interlocked sections of the sheet piles together, prevents moisture from pervading the underground space, which can only mean one thing in apartment blocks – happy owners! And while aesthetics and steel sheet piles are not commonly linked, the two can, in fact, go hand in hand. Underground car parks play a role in the aesthetics of the venue in which they are housed and can suit any design theme, as sheet piles can be painted and modified, according to taste.

- Ends -

NOTES TO EDITORS
Sheet Piling (UK) Limited is one of the UK's leading piling contractors. Owning and operating a comprehensive range of specialist piling equipment Sheet Piling (UK) Ltd also carry extensive stocks of new and used piles enabling rapid reaction to any urgent requirements or emergency situations.