NSC 21
June 18
couple of tenants have requested alterations
to their already constructed retail units, and
this has required some new service openings
to be formed by cutting through the metal
decking.
Another reason for choosing a steel
solution is the fact that this is a very
congested site surrounding an operating
shopping centre, visited by thousands of
customers every day.
“Steel is fabricated offsite and arrives
ready to be erected,” adds Mr Considine. “On
a busy site like this a concrete option, with
all of its associated formwork, would be very
undesirable.”
Steelwork contractor Steel & Roofing
Systems (SRS) will fabricate, supply and
erect 850t of steel for the project as well
as installing all of the cladding and metal
decking.
The cladding consists of 1,400m2 of
Kingspan Benchmark Evolution along the
front of the new extensions and a further
1,200m2 of Kingspan RW panels on the backof
house areas.
SRS has divided its steel erection
programme into four phases, with the first
three all wrapping around the existing
centre along two elevations, and the fourth
phase consisting of 50t of steel to create new
storage space for the existing M&S store.
The initial phase was the Aldi store which
is a large braced box containing a ground
floor shop, first floor storage area and
office, and a further mezzanine level office
space. The Aldi structure features one line
of internal columns and has spans of up to
13.2m-long.
Phases two and three are both two
levels high and include the remainder of
the new retail outlets and also a glazed
atrium and new mall entrance. The atrium
has a maximum width of 9m, and its roof
is formed with a series of cranked 250mm
× 100mm RHS members that support the
glazing.
“Part of the phase three works requires
us to undertake a return visit later this
summer as some existing stores need to be
demolished prior to the steel frame being
erected,” explains SRS Project Manager
Conor Whelan.
Some added flexibility has been designed
into phases two and three as three more
floors of steel-framed apartments could be
added in the future.
Mimicking the retail zone and basement
car park’s 8m × 8m grid, the pattern will
be repeated in the residential element and
column stubs have been left on the rooftop
steelwork to facilitate the installation of this
further extension.
Although the residential part has
yet to gain planning permission, it was
designed into our original scheme,” says Mr
Considine. “So in order to accommodate it
we have larger foundations and larger steel
columns than would otherwise be needed.”
Adding some extra architectural
highlights, the phase two and three areas
have steel cantilevers along the front
elevation. The largest of these cantilevers, at
4m-wide, covers an area of two bays (16m)
and overhangs the main entrance to create a
column-free pedestrian thoroughfare.
Summing up, Louise Donnelly of the
project’s real estate agency Cushman &
Wakefield says: “We are already experiencing
a strong level of interest in the scheme,
particularly from food and beverage
operators.
“It is a very exciting time for the people
of Blackrock and surrounding areas and,
once completed, the centre will provide
an enhanced shopping experience for the
immediate catchment area.”
Retail
Aerial view of the
Frascati Shopping
Centre
Steelwork contractor
SRS also installed the
cladding
The atrium roof
steelwork
Extra floors can be
added in the future
Steel was chosen for its
flexibility
/Steel_construction_products#Decking_for_floors
/Steel_construction_products#Decking_for_floors
/Fabrication
/Building_envelopes
/Construction#Steel_erection
/Braced_frames
/Single_storey_industrial_buildings#Mezzanines
/Steel-supported_glazed_facades_and_roofs#Atrium_Roofs_and_Sky_lights
/Steel_construction_products#Structural_hollow_sections
/Residential_and_mixed-use_buildings#Residential_buildings_in_urban_areas
/Concept_design#Floor_grids
/Steel_construction_products#Decking_for_floors
/Steel_construction_products#Decking_for_floors
/Fabrication
/Building_envelopes
/Construction#Steel_erection
/Braced_frames
/Single_storey_industrial_buildings#Mezzanines
/Steel-supported_glazed_facades_and_roofs#Atrium_Roofs_and_Sky_lights
/Steel_construction_products#Structural_hollow_sections
/Residential_and_mixed-use_buildings#Residential_buildings_in_urban_areas
/Concept_design#Floor_grids