Steelwork aids storage expansion

Working on behalf of main contractor MCS Group, TSI Structures is erecting 210t of structural steelwork for Lok’nStore’s latest facility in Warrington.

The self-storage market has grown rapidly in the UK over the last decade and steel construction has proven to be the ideal framing solution for these projects.

According to the MCS Contracts Manager Michael Hempsey, a steel-framed solution also offers a quick form of construction, allows the building to be flexible and satisfies the requirement for a lightweight structure.

“Having a lightweight frame means we can have shallower foundations, concrete pads in this instance, which is more cost-effective than installing piles.”

The Lok’nStore steel frame measures 54m x 45m and 15.8m-tall. The shape of the building is irregular, with curved facades and two undercroft overhanging areas at the front and back, which accommodate the entrance and a loading bay.

Perimeter columns are mostly spaced at 6m intervals, but along some of the curved facades this increases to a 9m spacing. The longest uninterrupted spans are in the roof structure where two 22.5m-long spans form the 45m-wide roof.  

Flexibility has been designed into the main steel frame, as during the internal fit-out programme, three floors of secondary mezzanine steelwork will be constructed within the shell.