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SSDA 2018: V&A’s Exhibition Road Quarter, London

The most significant work undertaken at the V&A museum for over 100 years, this development’s centrepiece provides a large column-free underground exhibition gallery.

As the SSDA awards celebrate their 50th year of recognising the best of what the UK steel construction industry can achieve, we celebrate that 77% of the projects feature STRUMIS customers. In this post we will be celebrating Bourne Steel Ltd.’s involvement in the V&A’s Exhibition Road Quarter project.

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Photo: © Paul Carstairs/Arup

 

V&A’s Exhibition Road Quarter, London

Architect: AL_A

Structural Engineer: Arup

Steelwork Contractors: Bourne Steel Ltd

Main Contractor: Wates Construction

Client: Trustees of the V&A

This development at the V&A’s South Kensington campus provides not just a large column-free underground exhibition gallery with an oculus to allow the influx of natural daylight, but also an open courtyard and a significantly improved street level entrance from Exhibition Road into the museum.

Known as the Sainsbury Gallery, the new 1,100m² column-free space is one of the largest temporary exhibition spaces in the UK and allows the V&A to significantly improve the way it designs and presents its world-class exhibition programme.

Following an international competition, AL_A, working with Arup, were appointed as the designers of this scheme. Key to their success in the competition was the use of structural steelwork for the concept design of the folded plate roof. This consists of a system of 13 triangular secondary steel trusses, which span from one large 45m-long primary truss across the gallery, supporting the courtyard, cafe, and crucially allowing the changes of existing ground levels to be fully exploited to fit in a mezzanine floor.

Early engagement by Arup with steelwork contractor Bourne Steel during the design process meant that the design moved from one needing extensive temporary support, to one where the trusses were self-stable, making the erection process much easier.

“Steel was the obvious choice for this development as it could easily form the shape the client demanded,” says Bourne Steel Project Manager Craig Galway. “In addition, it allowed the long spans to be created, while prefabrication of many elements minimised our on-site programme.”

Bourne Steel was responsible for the connection design, fabrication and erection of the steelwork, including the 13 triangular trusses, which each measure up to 25m in length and weighing up to 14t.

To read the full article visit the NSC website https://bit.ly/2ARpDNm

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SSDA 2018: The Ordsall Chord Viaduct

The Ordsall Chord Viaduct includes the first network arch bridge to be built in the UK, and the first asymmetric (tapering) network arch anywhere in the world.

As the SSDA awards celebrate their 50th year of recognising the best of what the UK steel construction industry can achieve, we celebrate that 77% of the projects feature STRUMIS customers. In this post we will be celebrating Severfield’s involvement in the The Ordsall Chord Viaduct project.

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Photo © Matthew Nichol Photography

 

The Ordsall Chord Viaduct

Architect: BDP

Structural Engineers: AECOM Mott MacDonald JV

Specialist Designer: Knight Architects

Steelwork Contractors: Severfield

Main Contractor: Skanska BAM JV

Client: Network Rail

The Ordsall Chord Viaduct is the iconic centrepiece of the new elevated railway that connects Manchester’s three main railway stations for the first time.

It carries a new two-track railway across both the River Irwell and Trinity Way dual carriageway. It sits next to major heritage structures, part of the historic 1830 Liverpool to Manchester Railway, the world’s first inter-city railway.

The context required a design which was of the highest architectural quality, with a structure which would act as a landmark without dominating surrounding buildings.

An 89m span network arch structure was chosen for the main river span, combining great strength and stiffness with a relatively low profile. A 100m long twin girder bridge was selected for the spans over the roadway.

All parts of the viaduct are integrated visually to appear like a single ribbon of weathering steel, tapering at both ends, and sized to suit the specific structural requirements on the individual spans.

“From the early stages of design, weathering steel was considered to be the ideal surface finish for the structures. It provides an honest expression of the material in terms of its function, colour and texture, echoing the historic masonry that sits alongside,” explains BDP Architect Director Peter Jenkins.

The preliminary design concept illustrated box girder structures throughout the length of the viaduct. The design was modified during the design-and-build phase, adopting box girders for the arch ribs but stiffened plate I-girders for the spans over the highway. This reduced construction cost and simplified future maintenance requirements.

Steel was the most cost-effective solution to satisfy the client’s structural performance requirements and also the desire for an elegant, iconic structure. Steel was ideal for the offsite manufacture of a highly geometrically complex structure, and allowed an efficient construction methodology to be developed.

To read the full article visit the NSC website https://bit.ly/2PAEfJ9

 

 

 

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Genesis Capital – STRUMIS Options

By partnering with one of the UK’s leading IT and software finance specialists, Genesis Capital, we can now offer our clients a range of simple, flexible finance packages that allow you to choose the STRUMIS solution that is the perfect fit for your business, whilst spreading the cost of your investment.

STRUMIS has long been the “go-to” Management Information System for steel fabricators around the world with STRUMIS users in 60 countries receiving benefits such as:

  • Increased productivity
  • Improved efficiency
  • Reduced environmental impact
  • Total traceability
  • Employee & process time recording
  • Achieving BIM, ISO & CE Marking compliance
  • Maximised raw material use
  • Ultimately leading to improved profitability

Up to recently, investing in STRUMIS meant finding the cash funds from within the business, however, by partnering with one of the UK’s leading IT and software finance specialists, Genesis Capital, we can now offer our clients a range of simple, flexible finance packages that allow you to choose the STRUMIS solution that is the perfect fit for your business, whilst spreading the cost of your investment.

There is no longer any reason for cash-flow and other resourcing issues to delay investment in the best system in the world – STRUMIS – at the time you want it.

STRUMIS Options has a range of flexible finance plans which makes it easier than ever to purchase STRUMIS, enabling you to see a rapid return on your investment in the most cost-effective way – with predictable, affordable monthly or quarterly payments. What’s more, using these facilities can actually make acquiring your STRUMIS solution cost less than using cash due to the beneficial tax treatment that leasing may offer.

Benefits of lease/purchase can include:

  • Immediate return on investment
  • Great tax savings potentially available
  • Improve your cash flow
  • Get the system that fully meets your needs
  • A fixed cost for your whole business solution
  • Simple and quick to arrange
  • Low, competitive rates

To find out more about STRUMIS Options and discuss your individual requirements please email sales@strumis.com

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SSDA 2018: London Bridge Station

London Bridge Station has undergone a stunning transformation that has delivered a better connection between London’s Home Counties and an increase in passenger capacity by two-thirds.

As the SSDA awards celebrate their 50th year of recognising the best of what the UK steel construction industry can achieve, we celebrate that 77% of the projects feature STRUMIS customers. In this post we will be celebrating Cleveland Bridge UK Ltd and Severfield’s involvement in the London Bridge Station project.

SSDA2018 London Bridge Station

Photo © Rick Roxburgh

 

London Bridge Station

Architect: Grimshaw

Structural Engineers: Arcadis WSP JV

Steelwork Contractors: Cleveland Bridge UK Ltd and Severfield

Main Contractor: Costain

Client: Network Rail

The wholesale transformation of London Bridge Station includes an enlarged street level concourse underneath the tracks, integrated new entrances and new platforms for more trains, with three of its nine previously terminating platforms converted to accept through trains.

All of the station’s 15 platforms have been rebuilt and are now covered by an undulating canopy of steel and aluminium, fabricated and installed by Severfield.

The eye-catching canopy roof is modularised using open sections where each module is approximately 9m deep by 3m wide. There are 1,200 prefabricated steel cassettes, with each one a bespoke unit due to the changing rooftop geometry.

Cleveland Bridge UK Ltd fabricated, supplied and erected the steelwork for the rail bridge decks that span the new concourse.

The concourse bridge decks are made up of three to four spans of simply supported decks for each rail line. Each bridge deck comprises six main girders braced together and tied at the ends with trimmer beams, which were delivered and erected as pairs.

For the installation of the decks and canopy, the project was split into six phases between October 2013 and May 2017. Close co-ordination between Cleveland Bridge and the main contractor Costain was essential to ensure the steelwork could be delivered efficiently to site and erected using either cranes or Self-Propelled Modular Transport (SPMT) systems. Each stage of installation was carefully planned to ensure follow-on trades were not hampered.

To read the full article visit the NSC website https://bit.ly/2Qe12aq

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SSDA 2018: Knostrop Weir Foot and Cycle Bridge, Leeds

Knostrop Foot and Cycle Bridge serves to reconnect the Trans Pennine Trail, following the removal of a section of island between the River Aire and the Aire and Calder Navigation.

As the SSDA awards celebrate their 50th year of recognising the best of what the UK steel construction industry can achieve, we celebrate that 77% of the projects feature STRUMIS customers. In this post we will be celebrating S H Structures involvement in the Knostrop Weir Foot and Cycle Bridge project.

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Photo © Paul White

 

Knostrop Weir Foot and Cycle Bridge

Architect: Knight Architects

Structural Engineer: Mott MacDonald

Steelwork Contractor: S H Structures Ltd

Main Contractor: BAM Nuttall

Clients: Leeds City Council and Environment Agency

The Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme (FAS) is led by Leeds City Council in partnership with the Environment Agency. It will provide the city centre and over 3,000 homes and 500 businesses with protection against flood events from the River Aire.

Despite the apparent complexity of the final design’s appearance, it only requires a single curvature in the fabrication of the steel plate elements. This served to simplify fabrication and enabled the bridge to be delivered within budget and programme.

A curved soffit combines with the changing deck width to translate the varying plan width into a rippling deck edge detail, producing a dynamic ‘sinuous’ quality, which is said to mirror the noise and movement of the falling water beneath.

Another unique feature of the design is that in elevation the piers are only 50mm thick and almost invisible in long views, creating the illusion of a floating deck.

Steel was the obvious material of choice to achieve the required aesthetic and minimise the significant construction challenges of working over water. The 70m long bridge was fabricated in S H Structures’ facility which is situated just 17 miles from the Knostrop site and treated at a local facility, minimising the environmental impact of the works.

To read the full article visit the NSC website https://bit.ly/2qmpSK0

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SSDA 2018: Bloomberg London

Bloomberg’s new European headquarters achieved a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating, which is the highest design-stage score ever achieved by any major office development in the UK.

As the SSDA awards celebrate their 50th year of recognising the best of what the UK steel construction industry can achieve, we celebrate that 77% of the projects feature STRUMIS customers. In this post we will be celebrating William Hares involvement in the Bloomberg London project.

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Photo © Aaron Hargreaves/Foster + Partners

 

Bloomberg London

Architect: Foster + Partners

Structural Engineer: AKT II

Steelwork Contractor: William Hare

Main Contractor: Sir Robert McAlpine

Client: Bloomberg

Featuring a design that was dictated by the site being surrounded by roads, Bloomberg London consists of two adjacent 10-storey buildings with a pedestrian access path cutting diagonally through the middle.

Steel frames with composite concrete floors are clad with sandstone and metal fins to produce a solid, understated elegance.

Compared to a typical office building, the new Bloomberg building’s environmental strategies deliver a 73% saving in water consumption and a 35% saving in energy consumption.

Norman Foster, Founder and Executive Chairman of architect Foster + Partners, says: “In some of our first discussions on the project, Mike Bloomberg and I arrived at a ‘meeting of minds’ on how the design of the new Bloomberg headquarters should incorporate the highest standards of sustainability. The project evolved from thereon into a building that is one of the most sustainable in the world”.

To read the full article visit the NSC website https://bit.ly/2ynf6Yg

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SSDA 2018: Project Of The Year, Jaguar Land Rover Engine Manufacturing Centre

Jaguar Land Rover’s new Engine Manufacturing Centre achieved a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating. Which comprises of 165,000m2 of production space, offices, social support areas and a community educational centre making it an exemplar of modern sustainable manufacturing.

As the SSDA awards celebrate their 50th year of recognising the best of what the UK steel construction industry can achieve, we celebrate that 77% of the projects feature STRUMIS customers. In this post we will be celebrating Severfield’s involvement in the Jaguar Land Rover Engine Manufacturing Centre project.

SSDA2018 Jag Land Rover

Photo © Simon Kennedy

 

Jaguar Land Rover Engine Manufacturing Centre

Architect: Arup

Structural Engineer: Arup

Steelwork Contractor: Severfield

Main Contractor: Interserve Construction Ltd

Client: Jaguar Land Rover

Innovation, collaboration and the well being of people at the facility are said to have shaped the success of this building.

The simple layout of Jaguar Land Rover’s Engine Manufacturing Centre is said to have been derived from optimum operational adjacencies. It was designed for flexibility, providing both an efficient process flow and giving staff easy access to support facilities.

Naturally-lit machine and assembly halls are flanked by supporting office and ancillary buildings. This approach optimised production performance and blurred the boundaries between production and offices through visual transparency.

The steel design comprises braced steel frames, with grids set by the bay sizes of the production areas below. Concept studies explored grid size with the client and compared the option of a portal solution, however the braced frames were considered the cheapest option.

“The steel frame design provided both a flexible structural system and an ordering device from which the façade elements were structured. The steel structure also enabled the light infused machine and assembly halls to be realised,” says Arup Senior Architect Sean Macintosh.

“The system was critical to the fast track delivery of the project and to realising the sustainability goals for the project. The steel frame forms an armature for the saw tooth roof that supports the extensive PV arrays, provides the framing for the roof light, providing natural ventilation to the office, and forms a bridge, joining sections of the master plan above an ecological corridor that runs across the site. These innovations were made possible by utilising the most appropriate and efficient structural solution in steel.”

To read the full article visit the NSC website https://bit.ly/2P4pUEq

 

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SSDA 2018

The Structural Steel Design Awards have reached a notable milestone this year, having showcased for 50 years the best of what UK steel construction can achieve, a remarkable longevity for an awards. The awards have consistently shown that the best of UK constructional steelwork is world-class, and is as relevant now as it was in 1969.

While the Structural Steel Design Awards are celebrating their 50 years, here at STRUMIS we would like to celebrate and congratulate the users of our software as 17 out of 22 of the projects featured in the awards had STRUMIS customers involved in them.

The breakdown is below and following on from this we will soon be posting the individual projects to congratulate them all separately.

 

Awards 6 out of 6, including Project Of The Year

Commendations 6 out of 8

Merits 5 out of 8

Total 17 out of 22

 

To read more about the awards please click here.

To see the time and cost saving benefits that STRUMIS could provide you please click here.

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Waikato skills shine at steel industry awards

The Mezz Box project overlooking Victoria on the River Park in Hamilton, has won a national Excellence in Steel Award.

Hamilton-based structural steel contractor Waikato Steel Fabricators and engineering consultants BCD Group took first place in their category for The Riverbank Mezz Box at the recent Steel Construction New Zealand’s (SCNZ’s) Excellence in Steel Awards.

Clinging to the Riverbank Lane building The Mezz Box, a creative studio, is cantilevered towards the Waikato River beside Victoria on the River Park.

The judges said it is a fantastic rejuvenation of an existing building. The project was entered in the under $500,000 category.

“An iconic and exciting structure, the outcome is deceptively simple and contributed to the revitalisation of this part of Hamilton,” the judges’ said.

The annual awards celebrate the best and the brightest in the steel industry and acknowledge commitment to innovation, quality and collaboration.

SCNZ chairman Wayne Carson said: “The awards showcase the best of our industry … yet, in the midst of the current construction boom, there have been multiple reports of construction projects faltering, too often as a result of poor quality and poor procurement decisions, which has seen product imported from offshore sources.”

Mr Carson said SCNZ’s focus on compliance is a credit to the local structural steel industry.

In another win for Waikato Steel Fabricators, employee Sean Carroll was named Apprentice of the Year.

Company director Gary Lightfoot said: “Sean’s success is a reward to our company for our commitment to apprentices — it’s something we’ve been doing for the past 18 years. We are thankful to SCNZ for creating this environment to acknowledge these young people.

“It’s something we can be proud of as a business and as an industry.”

 

The original article can be viewed here.

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STRUMIS Expansion in Australasia

STRUMIS Ltd are delighted to welcome 2 new members to the team. We have a new representative on board in Malaysia, Mr Mark Colk, and a new representative in New Zealand, Mr John Vermeulen.

They both have a long history with the structural steel industry in their specific regions and we look forward to working with them in this new endeavour. We are happy to have them on board and look forward to the mutual benefits working with STRUMIS provides.

STRUMIS have 20,000 users in over 60 countries worldwide and our commitment to our customers and the steel industry continues to grow. Ensuring that our customers maximise on the cost and time saving benefits STRUMIS offers.

For more information on all the time and cost saving benefits of STRUMIS please visit www.strumis.com