Composite completes 4-storey car park and supermarket for Waitrose adjacent to busy railway line.
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Architect:
Corstorphine and Wright
Engineer:
BJB Consultancy
Quantity Surveyor:
Christopher Harvey
Contractor:
BAM Construction
Client:
BT Parkside Developments
BREEAM 'Excellent Status'
Thermal efficiency
Layout efficiency and future flexibility
Eight weeks to erect
When BT specified energy efficient, naturally ventilated buildings with large open floor areas for their call centres at Coventry, a Composite designed precast concrete frame provided the solution.
Passive cooling involves using a combination of natural ventilation and the exposed structure of the building as a thermal heat sink
. Typically, the most significant thermal mass is in the concrete floor slabs.
By exposing the soffits of the prestresssed concrete floor units, heat can be absorbed directly and ambient temperatures reduced. The introduction of night-time air flows then cools the concrete and so increases its day-time thermal capacity. This reduces the amount of background heating and air conditioning needed
.
The two independent three-storey office buildings, with a single storey link, utilise concrete floor units spanning 15m. Ribbed beams, 3m wide, provide vaulted ceilings to the ground and first floor and 400mm deep hollowcore units a flat soffit on the second floor. Air is channelled through the vaulted ceilings via motorized windows linked to a BMS system.
The use of passive cooling promised BT a significant reduction in future energy costs which was recognised by the Building Research Establishment awarding the building ‘excellent status’ under BREEAM, its environmental audit scheme.
By combining a full precast frame and long span floors we provided the client with an open, column free working environment with maximum layout efficiency and future flexibility
.
As well as having an inherent two-hour fire rating, being produced off-site, under factory controlled conditions, meant that a high quality concrete finish was achieved on all components
. These both allowed for the direct application of paint treatments and a reduction in the number of secondary trades
.
Composite was responsible for the design, supply and erection of the precast concrete frames, including the associated long span floor units, shear walls and staircases. We completed our work on site in eight weeks
using just two on-site managers and four erectors.
This development was one of many undertaken with HBG Construction
(now BAM) in the Midlands, including the offices accommodating Learning and Skills Centre staff on an adjacent site.
