A W A R D SSDA 2019
NSC 21
October 19
FACT FILE
Architect: Ryder Architecture
Structural engineer: s h e d
Main contractor: Brims Construction Ltd
Client: Tombola
bleacher-style stairs leading to the modern
open-plan upper floors.
The building also boasts a diverse range
of informal training and presentation suites
with the latest AV/video conferencing
technology.
The three-storey structure’s steel frame
is braced for stability, but also incorporates
moment frames, which create the building’s
dramatic overhang and cantilevers along its
eastern façade.
The office floorplates are long-span areas
with exposed concrete soffits providing
radiant heating and cooling. In order to
allow the floors to appear to float and the
fenestration to span fully to the soffits, all
supporting columns are detailed as box
sections with plates supporting the slabs
above.
The building’s main columns are also
box sections, and Mr Horn says this is to
keep their size to a minimum and keep the
sleek lines of the building to continue from
the horizontal to the vertical.
A series of rectangular hollow section
(RHS) edge floor beams are arranged to
support the brickwork façade, thereby
providing a solution that is said to be very
efficient in terms minimising the overall
number of steel members.
The building’s audio/visual and fire
alarm systems are hidden within the
hollow section structure, using them as
containments systems to keep the sleek and
uninterrupted finish
The roof appears to float which is made
possible by utilising another moment
frame. All of the steel roof structure is
within a shallow construction zone, with
purlins placed inside the depth of the
column section rafters.
“The building’s size and roof complexity
meant that steel would have been involved
somewhere even if an alternative framing
option had been economical. A steel frame
allowed a single structural solution to be
employed for the whole frame and provided
a simple and fast construction programme,”
says Mr Horn.
Brims Construction’s Director Richard
Wood agrees and says: “Overall the building
could not have been delivered in its
amazing form without using a steel-framed
superstructure, as the material allowed us
to achieve the required long spans and open
spaces.”
In summary, the judges say this project
exemplifies how, with a dedicated client
and a top-class team, structural steel can
produce cost-effective yet beautiful results
that are much loved by its users. Through
simple yet sophisticated design and
rigorous attention to detail, this wonderful
headquarters building exhibits exceptional
quality and value. It is a clear Award
winner.
/Concept_design#Structural_options_for_stability
/Continuous_frames
/Facades_and_interfaces
/Steel_construction_products#Flat_products_-_plates
/Steel_construction_products#Structural_hollow_sections
/Construction#Construction_sequence
/Long-span_beams