M E R I T SSDA 2018
NSC 35
October 18
101 The Embankment,
Salford
Although the original buildings
and platforms are long gone, the
Grade II listed sandstone façade
and viaduct that once supported
the long-gone Exchange Station have been
retained to form a grand base for two
commercial buildings.
The first of these two steel-framed
structures to be built is known as 101
Embankment, and it offers 15,300m2
of Grade A office space over 11 storeys.
Beneath the development and situated
within the retained viaduct there is a threelevel
steel-framed 442-space car park.
The roof of the car park or podium deck
provided the design team with the project’s
biggest challenge as Ramboll Design
Engineer Allan Wilson explains: “Both
of the office buildings will have a similar
design that includes main columns set at
7.5m centres, which doesn’t match the car
park grid below. This, combined with the
larger column density in the core areas, led
us to adopt transfer structures at this level
to maximise parking spaces.”
The client requirement to maximise
the number of car parking spaces did not
permit the building cores to continue
down through the podium structure.
Therefore, steel-framed cores were adopted
to minimise the loads onto the transfer
structures, as they are significantly lighter
than concrete cores.
Encompassing an area around each
of the building’s cores, which equates to
approximately one third of their footprints,
the two transfer slabs employ an innovative
design, with a 1,500mm thick RC slab built
off a 130mm thick composite slab acting as
permanent formwork.
Summing up, the judges say this steel
and glass 11-storey office building contains
a substantial high‐spec multi‐storey car
park, together with retail and workspace
units, tied together with an innovative ‘hub’
circulation building.
FACT FILE
Architect: Flanagan Lawrence
Structural engineer: Ramboll
Steelwork contractor: Elland Steel Structures Ltd
Client: Ask Real Estate
Manchester Victoria Redevelopment
Manchester Victoria station
redevelopment was a
challenging project within an
existing live railway station
with work taking place around a number of
Grade II listed features.
The main element of the works is the
1,800t, 8,500m2 ETFE roof made of 410
airbags which are a lightweight, selfcleaning,
easy-to-replace alternative to glass
and help to control the temperature in the
redeveloped concourse.
A total of 15 steel ribs, founded on
5m-high buttresses, make up the frame
supporting the roof, with the longest
measuring 98m-long and weighing 87t.
“The design of the new station roof was
always the focal point of the redevelopment
of Manchester Victoria. To reverse the
negative opinions of the original station we
wanted to create a space which was naturally
lit and ventilated.
“A steel and ETFE roof was quickly
identified as being the best solution for
enclosing the space, creating a covered public
space in the heart of the city. The ETFE,
with its low weight and long spans, helped
reduce the quantity and weight of steelwork
in the roof,” says BDP Project Architect Peter
Jenkins.
This highly-efficient solution reduces the
volume of material used, transportation costs
and embodied energy.
Steel was the only choice to achieve the
shapes required as it is lightweight, flexible,
lean and highly sustainable and can
produce long spans to arc over the listed
elements without overshadowing them.
The judges say the tubular steel ribs
forming the new roof create an effective
transition between the curving railway
tracks and the adjacent buildings. Despite
severe constraints, the steelwork was erected
on schedule with the station remaining
operational throughout. The result is a
completely transformed space, with the
exposed steelwork a dominant feature.
FACT FILE
Architect: BDP
Structural
engineer:
Arcadis Consulting
(UK) Ltd
Steelwork
contractor:
Severfield
Main contractor:
Morgan Sindall
– Manchester
(Construction)
Client:
Network Rail
© Hufton + Crow
© Martine Hamilton Knight
/Multi-storey_office_buildings
/Braced_frames
/Car_parks
/Design
/Concept_design#Floor_grids
/Concept_design#Concrete_or_steel_cores
/Floor_systems#Composite_slabs
/Design
/Fabrication#Handling_and_transportation
/The_case_for_steel#Take_a_load_off_your_foundations
/Sustainability
/Long-span_beams
/Construction#Steel_erection