Part of the Olympia Masterplan, the proposed G-Gate building provides mixed use accommodation for car parking, logistics space, exhibition, theatre, office and plant. G Gate is used as a primary logistics area, both for the exhibition business and during construction. As such it is necessary to construct the basement using top down construction to deliver an operable ground floor slab surface throughout basement construction.
The G-Gate client brief set a complex range of high level objectives due to the multiple uses of the building. This required a single building to be used for several different, and conflicting, uses without imposing operational constraints on any of the individual aspects of the project. The brief included:
- Exhibition: Provide a wide, large span, column grid that closely matches that of the adjacent Central
- Buildings a level 01 to allow unobstructed floor space within the exhibition at Level 01
- Car Park/ Logistics: Provide a column grid below ground level that offers itself to an efficient car park and logistics layout to maximise available parking spaces at B1, below the G-Gate plot
- Theatre: Select a structural scheme and grid that avoids any visible columns within the auditorium or any other structure that would offer restricted views from any seats. Coordinate the structural scheme to allow clear pedestrian flow within communal spaces
- Office: Target an office grid of circa 12m x 8m for efficient office space planning. Avoid external bracing or structural walls around the perimeter of the office to maximise available light and views out of the office.
- Avoid structure borne sound transmission between exhibition/ theatre and theatre/ office.
- To meet this brief the project incorporates several levels of complex transfer structures in addition to full acoustic separation of the steel frame and concrete cores at both Level 02 and Level 08.
To meet this brief the project incorporates several levels of complex transfer structures in addition to full acoustic separation of the steel frame and concrete cores at both Level 02 and Level 08.
Robert Bird Group are delivering the structural, geotechnical & civil design and construction engineering services for the Olympia G-Gate structure.
The superstructure design has been developed collaboratively between the landlord (shell and core) design team and the tenant (fit out) design team during Stage 3. Many aspects of the superstructure design are heavily dependent on the geometry of the auditorium and internal planning of the theatre and close coordination is imperative to ensure an efficient scheme is developed without adding constraints to the fit-out design
RBG were engaged to deliver the scheme after Stage 3 and made many significant changes to ensure that the complex brief was met, improve buildability and reduce construction programme. The RBG design leadership approach led a change to the structural grid, change form concrete to steel construction for the superstructure, introduction of acoustic isolation measures and a change to basement construction.
In addition to design of the new build structures, other works include Construction Engineering for the construction of the basement and steel superstructure frame, detailing and delivery of pre-cast DfMA floor slabs.
RBG are also appointed for the design and coordination of secondary structural elements contained within the theatre tenant fit out works.
RBG Value Add
- RBG have been appointed by both the landlord and the theatre tenant due to the highly integrated nature of the fit out works in the theatre requiring close coordination between landlord and fit out teams. The tenant appreciated the value that RBG could bring to the project by offering separate shell and core and fit out teams that could work closely together to ensure a well coordinated and integrated structural design approach.
- Top-down construction methodology introduced to reduce construction programme and mitigate the impact of building a new basement adjacent to important listed Heritage buildings.
- Incorporation of pre-cast Lattice plank and Twinwall DfMA in design & modelling to improve construction programme, site safety and reduce material wastage.
- A targeted design methodology was discussed and implemented in the early stages of design with the steel fabricator, Contractor and Client regarding the use of fabricated and rolled steel sections to minimize material cost and tonnage.
- Prefabrication has been adopted to reduce construction emissions and material wastage, raise efficiencies on site and improve site safety. This includes the use of pre-cast lattice plank, hollowcore and solid RC slabs to all floors.
- CLT Timber seating treads have been used in place of secondary steel support framing to reduce the embodied carbon impact of the fit out works.
Project Metrics
Project Value:
£65m (G-Gate)
£1.3bn (Olympia Re-development total)
Year Completed:
Due 2024
Sectors:
Commercial
Sports & Entertainment
Client:
Olympia Property Holdings Limited (Shell and Core), Trafalgar Entertainment Group (Fit out)
Project Metrics
Primary Contractor:
Laing O’Rourke
Architect:
SPPARC (Concept/ Scheme), Heatherwick Studio (External envelope and front of house),
Adamson Associates (Delivery)
Haworth Tompson (Fit out)
Robert Bird Group Services:
Civil Engineering
Geotechnical Engineering
Structural Engineering
CMT Services
Construction Engineering Services
Environmental performance
- BREEAM 2018
‘Excellent’ target