Solution · Car parks & parking structures
Multi-storey car parks, solar carports and automated parking systems – one structural partner for all three. World Steel designs, fabricates and supplies long-span steel frames, decks, canopies and parking towers that park more cars per square metre, generate clean energy, and go up fast with minimum disruption to the site around them.
A car park is judged by how easily drivers park and how many spaces fit on the site. Columns between parking bays cost spaces, make manoeuvring harder and feel unsafe. Long-span steel beams carry the deck over both parking rows and the aisle without intermediate columns, so the floor plan is open, bright and efficient.
Steel also suits the way parking structures are built and used: frames and decks are prefabricated and bolted together on a confined site, the lighter structure reduces foundation loads, and the building can be extended, reconfigured or topped with a solar canopy later. Whether the project is a multi-storey car park, a field of solar carports or an automated parking tower, the steel package comes from one certified plant.
Four solutions
From a single row of solar carports to a multi-level car park or an automated tower – engineered and supplied by one partner.
open-deck · long span
Open-deck steel frames with composite floors, ramps or split levels, stair and lift cores, vehicle barriers and façade screens – for hospitals, malls, offices, airports, stations and residential projects.
≈ 16 m clear
Column-free decks with rolled or cellular beams – space for services, daylight and easy manoeuvring, and fewer foundations.
PV · EV charging
Single-row, double-row and multi-row canopies that shade cars, generate electricity and carry EV charging infrastructure – for factories, retail, offices and logistics sites.
open front
Single-column cantilever frames that keep parking bays free of posts – easy to drive under, simple to install on existing car parks.
tower · puzzle · rack
Steel towers and rack structures for lift-and-turntable, puzzle and shuttle systems – maximum spaces on minimum land.
add capacity
Additional parking levels on existing structures, extensions and demountable decks – light, fast and phased around operations.
Applications
Grids and spans planned around bay and aisle dimensions, ramps and circulation – not the other way round.
Rolled or cellular beams spanning about 16 m over two rows and the aisle, with composite floor decks.
Prefabricated, bolted frames and decks erected level by level – ideal for hospitals, malls, airports and campuses that stay in operation.
Solar carport structures designed for module loads, wind uplift, EV chargers, cabling and drainage.
Automated parking frames built to the tolerances and interface loads of the parking system supplier.
Galvanizing or coating systems for open, exposed structures; details that drain and are easy to inspect.
Codes & compliance
Structural design to the code of the project location; parking layout, fire safety and equipment follow the local regulations and the specialist suppliers.
Vietnam
Europe
Australia & New Zealand
United StatesSummary for orientation only – the project specification, the adopted code edition and the authority having jurisdiction govern.
Deliverables
Engineering and quality records for a parking structure that is approved, built and handed over smoothly.
Before design
Grid, spans and system options checked against the parking layout and the site.
Engineering
Frames, composite decks, barriers, canopies and connections – see design.
Permits
General arrangement, frames, anchor bolts and details – see approval drawings.
BIM
Tekla model coordinated with architecture, drainage, lighting, PV, EV and MEP.
Production · site
Every piece detailed; erection sequence level by level or row by row.
Traceability
EN 10204 3.1 certificates, welding procedures and NDT reports.
Durability
Surface preparation, galvanizing and coating thickness records.
Deliverables are agreed per contract; IFC models and DWG files on request.
Multi-storey car parks
The classic steel car park is an open-deck structure: long-span beams carry composite floor slabs over two parking rows and the central aisle, columns stand only at the façades and between modules, and natural ventilation flows through the open sides. Ramped floors, split levels or external ramps are chosen to suit the site, the number of spaces and the traffic flow.
We coordinate bay and aisle dimensions, ramp gradients and headroom with your architect to the local parking standard, and design the frame, floors, vehicle barriers, stair and lift cores and façade support steel as one package. Fire resistance follows the code of the project location – for example QCVN 06:2022/BXD in Vietnam – and the fire-engineering strategy for the building, with fire protection applied where it is required.
Solar carports
A solar carport turns an open car park into a power plant without using extra land. Canopies shade vehicles and pedestrians, the PV modules generate electricity for the site, and the structure carries the cabling and the EV chargers that drivers increasingly expect.
The structural challenge is wind: a canopy is an open roof, lifted and pushed by wind from below and above. We design columns, rafters, purlins and foundations for the module layout, tilt and wind actions of the site, with clearance heights for cars, vans or trucks, gutters and downpipes, and hot-dip galvanized steel for long, low-maintenance service. PV modules, inverters and chargers are supplied by your solar EPC; the steel is designed around their data.
Automated parking
Automated parking systems store cars on pallets or platforms moved by lifts, shuttles and turntables – no ramps, no driving aisles and much less height per level. In city centres, residential towers and hospitals, they can park many more cars on the same plot than a conventional car park.
The steel structure is part of the machine: it carries the vehicle loads, the lift and shuttle forces, and must hold rails and guides to the system supplier's tolerances. We design and fabricate the tower or rack frame, the envelope and the entry building to the supplier's interface loads and geometry, coordinated with the system's safety standard (for example EN 14010) and the fire strategy.
High-efficiency structure
Efficiency starts at the grid. We optimise column spacing and spans for the parking layout, use composite action between beams and slabs, and choose cellular beams where long spans, services and daylight benefit. Repeated modules mean repeated details – fewer piece marks, faster fabrication and an erection rhythm the site crew learns in days.
Bolted connections and metal decking that act as a working platform let floors go up quickly with little formwork or propping. The lighter frame reduces foundation sizes, and the structure stays adaptable: levels can be added, solar canopies installed on the roof and EV infrastructure retrofitted later. See consulting & value engineering.
Compare
Indicative comparison – capacity, cost and approvals depend on the site, the local code and the operator's requirements.
| Aspect | Multi-storey car park | Solar carport | Automated parking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Many spaces on a limited plot; hospitals, malls, offices, transport hubs | Open surface car parks; factories, retail, logistics, campuses | Very small plots, city centres, residential and mixed-use towers |
| Structure | Long-span frame, composite decks, ramps, cores, barriers | Cantilever or portal canopy frames, purlins, foundations | Tower or rack frame carrying pallets, lifts and rails |
| Key design drivers | Spans, deck vibration, vehicle barrier loads, fire strategy, drainage | Wind uplift, module loads, clearance height, corrosion | Interface loads, tolerances, deflection, fire strategy |
| Extra value | Rooftop solar, EV charging, future extra levels | Clean energy, shade, EV charging | Maximum spaces per m², vehicle security |
| World Steel scope | Frame, floors, barriers, stairs, façade steel | Complete canopy steel and fixings | Structural frame, envelope and entry building |
| Specialist partners | Architect, fire engineer, concrete and MEP | Solar EPC (modules, inverters), EV chargers | Parking system supplier (machinery, controls) |
Process
Number of spaces, vehicle types, site, programme, solar and EV goals.
Parking layout, grid, spans and system compared on spaces and cost.
Structure designed and documented for the permit and fire strategy.
Tekla model coordinated with PV, EV, MEP and parking equipment.
Certified fabrication, galvanizing or coating, packed in sequence.
Shipped to the programme; erection or supervision on site.
FAQ
Long-span steel beams give column-free parking decks that are easier to drive and park in, the prefabricated frame is erected quickly with little disruption, and the lighter structure reduces foundation sizes. Steel car parks can also be extended or topped with solar canopies later.
Long-span beams of about 16 m are common, covering two rows of parking bays and the aisle without intermediate columns. The exact span follows the bay and aisle dimensions of the local parking standard and the chosen floor system.
It depends on the code of the project location, the type of car park (open or enclosed) and the fire strategy. Requirements are set by the local regulations – for example QCVN 06:2022/BXD in Vietnam – and the fire engineer; we design the steel accordingly and apply fire protection where it is required.
Our scope is the steel structure – columns, rafters, purlins, fixings and foundation interface. Modules, inverters and chargers are supplied by your solar or EV contractor, and we design the steel to their data.
Yes. We design and fabricate the tower or rack frame, the envelope and the entry building to the interface loads and tolerances of the parking system supplier, who provides the machinery and controls.
Often yes – with additional steel levels, rooftop solar canopies or new decks, subject to a structural assessment of the existing building and foundations.
Send us the site plan, the number of spaces and your solar or EV goals – we propose the parking concept, the steel structure and a programme that gets cars parked sooner.
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EN 1090 EXC3 · CE
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