Project : Renault F1 CFD Centre, Chipping Norton
Company Name: ABM Precast

The application of pre-engineered segmental arches in bridge construction is well established in Europe, as this form of construction can speed programme time substantially. However, application of these civil engineering structures as a green alternative to conventional buildings, is unique in the UK.

As there were planning restrictions on the development of the site along with a self-imposed ethos to make operations more environmentally friendly, the conclusion was to bury the building. Closed at one end and fitted with a panoramic glass curtain walling at the other, this not only met the area and volumetric requirement, but provided a dramatic working environment. Once completed, the building will have minimal visual impact and will also provide a stable thermal environment requiring less energy input for cooling and heating than conventional structures. The new building is to house a world-class computing facility that will be used to perfect the aerodynamics of the 2009 series cars.

Project : Sofitel T5 Hotel, Heathrow
Company Name: Bison Concrete Products

One of the largest luxury airport hotels in Europe, the £180 million, 605-bedroom hotel is attracting international interest and acclaim due to the sheer scale and striking design features, including five towering atriums, with a direct linking bridge to the terminal building at Heathrow’s Terminal 5. This project successfully demonstrates the versatility and flexibility of precast concrete and also the quality and programme benefits due to speed of erection. Bison supplied 30,000m² of bespoke precast concrete products for the huge construction programme of six hotel blocks , prestressed hollowcore and precast solid flooring, 32,000m² of wall panels and 300m³ of stairs.

Project : South Lodge Hotel, Horsham
Company Name: Bradstone

Two large extensions to this historic hotel were required. The existing architectural style and the hotel surroundings needed to be taken into consideration. Replication included natural stone walling, window and door surrounds and feature corbels. Traditional walling in Bradstone’s Southwold shade was used, which has a squared and lightly dressed finish and is created by moulds, cast directly from hand dressed natural stone masters and used as an alternative to natural stone. It is produced at a fraction of the cost of natural stone, produces less waste and is aesthetically pleasing and sympathetic to its natural surroundings. The innovative use of precast architectural features, allowed the faithful recreation of the old patterns of the surrounds, at a fraction of the cost of traditional stone masonry methods.

Project: Marine Operations Centre, Aberdeen
Company Name: Evans Concrete Products

The centre was designed to imitate a traditional Scottish lighthouse, supporting a ship’s bow and bridge. The bow was created using curved glass which leans out towards the harbour, while the six storey high rounded structure which supports it is the lighthouse. The concept of two interlocking forms, solid and light, played a part in the design of this £3million project. Evans Concrete Products supplied and installed a range of innovative precast concrete products to overcome numerous design, technical and environmental challenges.

A corrosion inhibitor was selected to improve durability due to the exposed nature of the marine environment. This liquid based admixture was incorporated within the concrete during the batching process. In addition, high strength C50 concrete and 50mm cover to reinforcement was used. The external panels weighed in at 12 tonnes and erection of the 28 panels to the external tower were installed and erected over a two week period utilsing mobile cranes.

Project: Pegasus Court & Lodge, Weston Super Mare
Company Name: Forticrete

Extensive use of complex cast stone elements has enabled three new buildings, in the resort of Weston-Super-Mare, to recapture the elegance of the town’s architectural heritage and illustrates the ability of cast stone to replicate cost-effectively, the aesthetic properties of natural stone. The project of two apartment blocks and a short stay hostel for the Royal British Legion, called for detailing of the cast stone elements to be highly complex, with the majority being created from individually produced moulds. The variety of details was extensive with balustrades, corbels, copings to gables and boundary walls, piers, spheres, string courses, window cills, heads and jambs also featuring strongly within the designs.

Project: Hanson EcoHouse^TM II, Watford
Company Hanson Building Products

The Hanson Ecohouse™ at BRE’s Offsite 2007 Innovation Park, demonstrates how Code Level 4 can be achieved using masonry and precast concrete. Built off prepared foundations, the two storey EcoHouse™ shell was erected in less than three days using Hanson’s Quickbuild™, a prefabricated, insulated, cavity wall panel system. The system is comprised of a stack-bonded brickwork outer leaf, with a Thermalite aircrete blockwork inner leaf. Hanson used their high performance mortar system to bond the traditional building materials into panels, thus significantly enhancing the structural stability and adding to the house’s airtightness, and sustainability credentials. The Quickwall™ system offers thermal mass and air-tightness, thus giving significant energy savings, as well as having the added advantages of flexibility and adaptability.

Project : Silverburn Retail Centre, Glasgow
Company Name: Malling Products

The commission was to produce an interpretation of a quarry face for a wall at the Silverburn Retail Centre. This required painstaking research, photographs, rock samples, colour swatches, trial panels and a full scale mock up preceded full scale production. The result a stunning architectural feature greeting the public as they arrive at the centre. This interpretation of a quarry face, demonstrates how the qualities of precast concrete can be used to best advantage and is a demonstration of the mouldability of concrete. The structural properties of precast concrete enabled the wall to be free standing and the exposed fine aggregate in the mix gave the wall a warm earthy colour. The wall appears as a naturally undulating, homogenous surface, as opposed to a series of repeating elements. This was achieved by jointing the panels along the geometric crease lines and detailing eight bespoke units that could be used in different combinations.

Project: 154 – 172 Tooley Street, London
Company Name: Malling Products

The exposed structure of this building, showcases how high quality fair-faced concrete, can be used in an internal environment. The thermal mass of the concrete moderates temperature swings within the building and is therefore an integral part of the low energy ventilation strategy. To take advantage of these properties, the concrete must be exposed rather than covered with a finishing material, as this would insulate the concrete from the internal air mass and so reduce its efficacy.

Extensive use of precasting with self-compacting concrete, ensured a consistent, high-quality finish on all visible elements. This was combined with post-tensioned floor slabs to create spacious floorplates with spans of up to 10.5m. All columns were precast, as was the external cladding which frames the glazing, this used secondary granite aggregates and standard cement with an etched finish. The post-tensioned floor slabs are faced with 3m2, 50mm thick precast panels, used as permanent formwork.

Project: Cleveleys Coastal Defences and Associated Promenade Works
Company Name: SLP Precast

SLP in conjunction with Brise Coastal, designed and built an innovative sea defence scheme to protect 1.2km of sensitive coastline. The main objective was to protect over 8,700 properties and 219 industrial units from coastal flooding.

During the design stage SLP felt there was a compelling case for using precast concrete in the construction, not only for practical capabilities for the job, but also to provide the vital architectural features demanded. Additionally, enhancement of the concrete with colours and textures, SLP Colourtone was established to meet the needs of the project by producing a colour conditioning admixture to provide superior, integrally coloured concrete and mortar. By blending the concrete structures with the surroundings and using acid etching designs in the wave walls, a more aesthetic and comfortable finished product was delivered.

Project: The Colonnade, Barton Square, Trafford Centre, Manchester
Company Name: Trent Concrete

This project demonstrates the flexible and adaptable nature of precast concrete, where it has been used in a variety of situations, both as a cladding and as a structural material. The portico was designed to match the original colonnade and was cast in an identical buff coloured, reconstructed stone with terracotta feature bands. The concrete was acid etched to expose some of the fine aggregate and to produce an excellent imitation of natural stone. The unique portico design makes the production process complex and highly mould intensive, with many one offs.