Around the Press – September 2010

Construction News
29 July 2010
Offices get support from strand jacks
(Cannon St Station) The solution was to cantilever the floor. However, it is impossible to do this without a completed facade to truss each floor. As a result, Laing O’Rourke has installed 22 strand jacks at roof level along the core, each at 1m apart. Around 400m of steel cable are held in place by the jacks, supporting the steel frame for each floor.

New Civil Engineer
22 July 2010
To cut a long story short
(Glasgow M74) Each of the steel bridge beams arrived from Cleveland Bridge’s Darlington works in five pieces, with each piece weighing around 60t. They are open box plate girders with a maximum flange thickness of 70mm. Most were bolted together on site with the exception of the outer faces of the outer beams, which were welded at the request of the client.

The Structural Engineer
6 July 2010
World Cup stadiums use BIM software
The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth stands out, thanks to its unusual roof structure. Completed this year, the stadium is one of the main stages of the Cup. The individually shaped roof is made of PTFE coated fibreglass and is held up with 36 steel girders. The total weight of the curved beams supporting the futuristic structure is nearly 2500t.

New Civil Engineer
5 August 2010
Island records
(Refering to La Collete waste to energy facility in Jersey) “A steel frame was chosen for the structure to fit the overall architectural concept,” says Campbell Reith project engineer Will Shaw. “Additionally, to allow us to achieve the required open internal spans, it was the obvious option.”