SSDA Commended project on Stirling Prize shortlist

NEO Bankside, the first major residential scheme in the UK to feature an external steel bracing system and a 2012 SSDA Commendation winner, has been shortlisted for this year’s Stirling Prize.

The luxury flats are located behind the South Bank’s Tate Modern in London and were designed by architect Richard Rogers.

Representing a considerable engineering challenge, the project consists of four concrete-framed residential pavilions each featuring a perimeter steel bracing system.

The systems serve three key purposes: to provide lateral and overall stability; to reduce the requirement for shear walls allowing greater internal flexibility, and to provide support for the winter garden elements at the prows of the buildings.

Initially the design incorporated an internal perimeter bracing system, but this was reviewed and external bracing was chosen as it offered a simpler interface with the cladding.

Stability forces are transferred into the external perimeter bracing via nodes, which are arranged on a six-storey interval vertically and on a sequenced interval horizontally.

The nodes transfer the lateral stability forces into the bracing system. Lateral loads from the intermediate floors are transferred to the nodal floors by reinforced concrete walls arranged around the core.