Education
FACT FILE
London School of
Economics Central
Building
Redevelopment
Main Client:
London School of
Economics
Architect:
Rogers Stirk Harbour +
Partners
Main contractor: Mace
Structural engineer:
AKT II
Steelwork contractor:
Billington Structures
Steel tonnage: 1,100t
NSC 27
May 18
be installed during the basement works
programme.
“The basement level is predominantly
formed with concrete, although we did use
steel plunge columns for the foundations,”
explains Mr Connolly.
“This subterranean level will be used for
plant rooms, but it also houses the building’s
200-seater auditorium and associated spaces
such as a bar, and this large column-free area
is formed by the two long plate girders.”
Encased in concrete and positioned at
ground floor level, the two girders measure
17m long × 1,600mm deep and each one
was brought to site in two pieces for ease
of transportation. The main steel frame has
been erected entirely by tower crane, but
these girders needed a 400t-capacity mobile
crane to be used for their installation.
The part of the basement that contains
the auditorium does not lie beneath the new
building, but instead it is positioned in front
of the structure and below the new public
square.
“Creating the square was integral to the
overall scheme and having the auditorium
below it was the most efficient position,” says
Mr Baptista. “Because of the girder’s position
they are working extremely hard as they
are designed to carry heavy loads from fire
engines in an emergency, and a mobile crane
required to replace rooftop plant.”
Access to the auditorium is via the Tower
Building’s atrium, which accommodates
a staircase to the lower level and is a void
formed with exposed steel columns that start
at basement level.
The atrium also offers access to the
Tower’s main staircase, known as the
meandering stair as it as it shifts along the
structure one bay per floor.
Formed with a lightweight prefabricated
steel frame, this staircase was lifted into
position piece by piece along with the
main steel frame. Its design is said to
mimic the movement within the square,
as well as allowing better connectivity and
collaboration between different departments
on different floors.
Summing up, Mr Connolly says this
is a complex and challenging project on
a confined inner city site, surrounded by
busineses and our client’s other facilities.
Collaboration, such as having a visual mockup
External crossbracing
bookend both parts of
the project
of the steel frame on-site to iron out any
snags prior to the steelwork being delivered,
has been the key to the project’s success.
The LSE CBR opens in mid-2019.
An external bracing
node at the fabrication
yard
/Leisure_buildings#Theatres_and_auditoria
/Fabrication#Handling_and_transportation
/Construction#Tower_cranes
/Construction#Mobile_cranes
/Steel-supported_glazed_facades_and_roofs#Atrium_Roofs_and_Sky_lights
/Braced_frames