Architect – Ark Design

Engineer – Carley Daines & Partners

Contractor – Bardsley Construction Ltd

We were commissioned by our client, Adactus Housing Association, to provide the structural input on a difficult site already fully developed, with a 1970's reinforced concrete telephone exchange building. Our site investigation indicated that ground conditions were generally satisfactory, consisting of dense underlying sand. However, removal and breaking up of the existing large concrete bases to the telephone exchange would prove very difficult. An innovative solution was arrived at, whereby the layout of the proposed new building was made to match as far as possible the layout of the existing building, with the original foundations substantially re-used after satisfactorily proving their structural integrity. In addition, the new building was constructed in lightweight steel framing over five storeys with a ground floor car parking area. All floors were constructed of cast insitu concrete on permanent steel decking, and perimeter walls were constructed with a masonry outer leaf and a lightweight steel studding inner leaf.

This gave the client a spacious & elegant building, incorporating substantial economies in the construction process.

Date of construction – 2005 – 2006.