NSC 13
January 19
full support. Up until that point a series of
356UC steel props have been installed to
support the wall. These large steel members
are each absorbing approximately 2,000kN
of load from the wall.
“There wasn’t room for hydraulic props,
so using steel beams was the best option as
the steel frame and floors can be built and
cast around them,” says Mr Kerwick.
“Once the steel frame is erected the
beams will be cut up and removed in pieces,
with the holes in the floors then filled in.”
The steel frame totals 600t, but the
piece count is very high, as there are no
particularly long spans, with no beam
longer than 6.5m. The grid pattern is also
very irregular, as it has to encompass three
different room sizes, all of which are present
on each floor, as well as amenities such as a
gym and reception area.
Typically, the design has a central
corridor with accommodation units
situated either side. Blocks one and two sit
to the north of the spire and block three is
positioned to the south. Two and three are
linked via a narrow corridor structure that
wraps behind the spire.
The new building never touches the spire,
and open courtyards on either side of it
allow natural light to penetrate the student
units that face the retained feature.
“We used pretty much the entire
footprint of the site for the new building,
excluding the area around the spire, and
consequently there was no room to position
a mobile crane,” says Mr Kerwick. “All of the
steel was erected via two luffing jib tower
cranes which have been installed within the
steel frame’s footprint.”
“Once the project nears completion
the cranes will be dismantled and the gaps
within the frame will be simply in-filled
with metal decking, similar to the procedure
necessary for the large props.”
Dandara envisage that Triple Kirks
will become Aberdeen’s premier student
accommodation, helping to address a welldocumented
shortfall of rooms.
Residential
How the completed
scheme will look
Model of the three
accommodation blocks
minus the spire
Different room sizes
are located on each
floor
The project wraps
around the historic
spire
/Steel_section_sizes
/Steel_construction_products#Standard_open_sections
/Construction#Steel_erection
/Concept_design#Floor_grids
/Construction#Mobile_cranes
/Steel_construction_products#Decking_for_floors