The King Edward Barracks Car Park, at the location where New Zealand soldiers trained and departed from for both World Wars, was part of a considerable redevelopment in the heart of Christchurch that included office buildings and the aspiration of bringing workers and visitors back towards the centre of the City.

Labelling the building a car park might even be a little misleading. It is more of a transport hub, intended to help draw people into the area and make it easy for them to travel their way. This was a future-proofed concept that reflected the shifting trends in mobility, as commuters and visitors transition away from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to Electric Vehicles (EV), or decide to take themselves out of vehicles altogether.

With KEB including charging room for EVs and a storage area for cyclists, natural ventilation was needed for greater comfort, but it had to also offer the weather resistance to keep the areas used dry. This is not a requirement of traditional car parks and a splash of rain on parked vehicles is neither here nor there. But a saturated bicycle seat can make for an unpleasant journey and deter anyone from using two wheels. Heading off to a meeting by bike with a wet patch on your bottom is not ideal!

The solution was to incorporate the Ventuer VL-2SD High Weather Protection System into the design. A two-stage louvre system, it’s ideal for exposed locations where wind driven rain can easily penetrate less weather protective louvres. Rated as Class A under BS/EN:13030 for air volumes up to 1.5 m3/second, and Class B for air volumes up to 3.5 m3/second, it is proven to cope with high wind speeds and significant levels of rainfall.

The secret to the success of these louvre blades is in how they are supported on a two-piece equalised mullion system. This is bordered by a 150mm frame that ejects captured water from the front of the panel.

KEB, or ‘West End Car Park’ as it has come to be known, has certainly played its part in helping transition Christchurch into a reimagined City of the future. The foresight of the designers to add cycle storage has been well and truly validated by the shift in transport options, and it no doubt played a role in that shift. Since completion in 2017, the number of cyclists in Christchurch has risen by 30%. Today, Christchurch has more cyclists than any other City in New Zealand.

For other Councils, or private developers, looking at constructing transport hubs to match the shift in transport modes elsewhere, selecting the right louvres is crucial. We can point to KEB and Christchurch as a great example of what can happen if you do get it right.