Truck garage Codelco
Challenge
The world’s biggest copper producer Codelco needed a truck garage to cover parked service trucks which transport explosives to the production area. The truck garage had to protect the trucks from the severe weather conditions in winter season. It had to be installed at the Andina mine which is located 3.700 meters above sea level in the Andes Mountains. In this region, wind speeds can reach up to 150 km/h and there are heavy snowfalls.
Solution
Veldeman designed a custom made structure of 22m wide, 32m long and 11m high, according to the Chilean building code. It can withstand a wind load of 180 km/h and a snow load on the roof of 270 kg/m². Thanks to the unique curved roof it has outstanding snow shedding abilities. The truck garage was built on a 2m high concrete wall to avoid the accumulation of snow on the side walls. The roof is made up of white blackout fabrics combined with translucent fabrics to take advantage of natural daylight. Veldeman provided a total solution, equipped with 6 hangar doors with electric roller doors for truck entrance, a personnel door, a ventilation and a lighting system. The installation of the structure took only 4 weeks.
