The development will offer 100% affordable housing scheme with 196 homes and 952m2 of commercial space replacing the brownfield site.
The site has a Thames Water sewer running north-south under the west of the site, which constrains the location of piled foundations. The foundation strategy is such that it avoids overburdening the Thames Water asset to transfer the loads to the pile groups which will be built outside the exclusion zone.
The building is a C-shaped block of flats around three sides of an open courtyard. The fourth side to the courtyard faces the external and separate cycle shed structure. The two cores extend from ground floor in the north and south. The two cores along with selected shear walls comprise the lateral stability system. The blocks vary in height, ranging from 6 to 14 stories and each block has balconied units. The double height commercial space at ground floor also houses plant and a mezzanine level. The structure is a traditional reinforced concrete frame with steel balconies.
RBG have been engaged to provide civil and structural design for RIBA stages 1 to 4a. The geotechnical engineering team has been engaged to provide the Geotechnical Desk Study report.
During 2019 the scheme was redesigned by the architects and client to suit feedback from the planning submission. This was picked up by the design team and RBG in 2020 through a redesign of stage 3 and 4a.
RBG Value Add
- Smart working processes adopted in response to lean fee and agreed scope.
- Managing client expectations at each stage.
- Working with a fluid architectural scheme.
- Early Thames Water negotiations to establish parameters for design solutions.
- Early value engineering through optimization of slab and vertical structure.
Sustainability
- Optimisation of the lateral stability structure saved circa 200m3 of concrete across the project, saving c. 130tn of CO2e.
- The proposed pile construction method is a CFA construction, which removes the need for support fluid on site.
Project Metrics
Project Value:
£80,000,000 GBP
Year Completed:
2024
Building Metrics:
196 Affordable homes, 15031.8m2 GIA
986m2 commercial space GIA
Sectors:
Residential & Retirement
Project Metrics
Client:
Pocket Living
Architect:
Waugh Thistleton Architects
Robert Bird Group Services:
Structural Engineering
Civil Engineering
Geotechnical Engineering