Panels offer student accommodation solution

Offering 180 students accommodation, a new campus building for the University of Leeds has been completed on time with the aid of Kingspan Steel Building Solutions’ KingBuild System (KBS).

The system was used to provide a complete building structure and shell solution, resulting in the project being shortlisted for the Best Use of Steel Award at the 2018 OFFSITE Awards.

The contemporary seven-storey building has been developed by S Harrison Developments and designed by architects Carey Jones Chapman Tolcher. It features a stepped design containing 29 cluster flats with large shared kitchen and living spaces, in addition to a range of communal facilities including a reception area, study rooms, games area and a common room.

Kingspan Steel Building Solutions was selected by GMI Construction to design, engineer, manufacture, supply and finally install their KingBuild System (KBS), enabling the external structure to go up in just 18 weeks.

GMI Construction Contracts Manager Bob Priestley said: “We chose to work with Kingspan on this project due to their excellent reputation, the suitability of their products for this project, and their in-house design and installation abilities.”

The proposed structure was first 3D modelled in-house by Kingspan’s design team, using Tekla modelling software. The data was then sent to the production facility to ensure the panels were manufactured to the exact project requirements, minimising on-site waste on the restricted site.

The panelised system is said to have allowed a rapid, predictable assembly of the seven storeys, providing a weathertight envelope that could be worked on internally even as the external finishes were being applied. As well as being efficient to install, the dry construction method achieves near-zero shrinkage and provides almost zero settlement in the frame. Pre-punched holes for services into joists and studs also helped reduce subsequent fit-out time. The predictability of this approach reduced costs by saving on labour time.

The use of steel also reduced the environmental impact of the project: the light gauge steel is said to offer high strength to weight ratio and therefore reduces material usage over traditional materials, minimising the carbon footprint and providing structural efficiency.