Refurbishment
Southwark, London, UK
Project Brief
LSY Engineering Consultants Ltd were lead structural engineers on a refurbishment project in Southwark, London, UK reviewing and optimising a previously proposed scheme that required significant structural strengthening work to the existing building. Our role focused on verifying the capacity of the existing 1930’s structure and ensuring compliance with current regulations from RIBA stages 1- 5.
Challenges
The original scheme proposed substantial strengthening works throughout the building, however, without reliable data on the existing structure’s material strengths, the extent of reinforcement was difficult to justify. In addition, early investigations raised concerns about the fire performance of the structural elements of the building due to a lack of cover.
Process
We organized materials testing on the existing structure to determine the actual grades and strengths of the concrete and steel. This data was used to build a detailed 3D analysis model, including the new proposed loads from the refurbishment works.
This modelling approach enabled us to get a clear indication of the working stresses on the existing structure. As a result, we were able to significantly reduce the extent of the existing strengthening proposals required, focusing only on isolated areas rather than widespread strengthening across the whole building. This optimization provided notable savings to the client equating to significant savings and time reduced from the original program.
During the material testing phase, we found that the existing building did not meet current fire safety standards requirements. We were involved in specifying a fire protection system using products by Sika, to improve the fire resistance of existing structural elements and to ensure full compliance with current fire regulations.
Outcome
The revised strategy was a success and helped the client reduce programme duration and construction costs, while also delivering a fully compliant fire protection upgrade. This successful scheme has led to LSY working on several additional commissions with this client and design team.
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