Self-Storage Facility

Introduction

Incon was engaged by Jurkovic Group to deliver civil and structural engineering design for a large-scale, multi-level self-storage facility in Lonsdale, South Australia. The project represents a significant commercial development, aimed at maximising storage efficiency while maintaining structural integrity, durability, and compliance with Australian Standards and fire safety requirements.

Project
description

The development consists of a multi-level storage facility exceeding 20,000 m² of storage area, including ground, first and second floors, along with office and amenities spaces. The site spans approximately 16,425 m², incorporating external car parking and dedicated areas for boats and caravans.

The structural system was designed to support high live loads typical of storage facilities while integrating efficiently with architectural layouts, vehicle circulation, and civil infrastructure. The building incorporates:

Multi-storey suspended floor systems
Precast concrete wall panels
Steel-framed roof structures
Integrated stormwater and site civil design

Challenge

The project presented several key engineering challenges:

Storage facilities demand high live loads (~5 kPa and above), requiring efficient structural systems to maintain performance without excessive material usage.
Achieving required fire resistance levels significantly impacts slab thickness, structural member sizing, and fire protection systems.
The need for rapid construction and cost efficiency required solutions that minimised propping and simplified installation.
Architecturally challenging column grid and bracing requirements, requiring access and free spaces between column grids.

Solution

We delivered an optimised and buildable structural solution through a combination of engineering innovation and practical design strategies:

Adopted Slimdek/Slimflor composite systems, enabling long spans, reduced floor depths, and unpropped construction—significantly improving construction speed and reducing temporary works.
Utilised a combination of steel beams and SHS/RHS columns, balancing strength, fire resistance, and cost efficiency.
Developed flexible fire protection strategies including:

Passive protection
Option for reduced structural demand through active fire systems

Designed pad and piled foundation options to suit geotechnical conditions, ensuring structural reliability while minimising overdesign.
Incorporated precast concrete wall panels to accelerate construction, improve durability, and provide inherent fire resistance.

Value
Delivered

Reduced construction time through unpropped composite systems
Optimised material usage leading to cost savings
Flexible fire compliance strategy reducing structural penalties
High durability and low maintenance design

Other Projects

We deliver project success and technical excellence.

We take pride in delivering innovative and practical solutions which adds real value to our clients and the community. We strive for better outcomes that delivers a best possible solution by employing our technical expertise. We believe the real value in good engineering is breaking down a complex problem into a simple solution which underpins our philosophy of ‘do it right – the first time’.