Refurbishment
Millennium Drive, London, UK
Project Brief
In collaboration with a national project management company, we were contracted to carry out an inspection and full structural design checks after fire damaged the roof of an apartment block.
Our role included assessing the damaged structural members and recommending remedial works to strengthen the existing timber members.
Challenges
A fire had broken out in the apartment on the top floor of the building, damaging the structural elements of the roof, which were particularly complex.
The structural frame of the existing roof was a prefabricated gang-nailed roof truss – a detailed design. Because of the roof’s intricate original build, we knew it would be challenging to repair.
Process
We undertook an initial site inspection to visually assess the damaged roof structure. During our visit it became apparent that the fire had spread through a defective eaves detail: several struts and the ridge were severely charred from the fire.
Our measured survey allowed us to back analyze the existing trusses carrying the load of the roof and we discovered that a reduced section of damaged trusses was now bearing the weight of the roof. We recommended repairs to all struts that had been damaged by the fire.
This involved removing the dead load of the roof and placing two members at either side of the damaged struts and bolting them through using a dog’s tooth connection. We also removed damaged sections of the ridge and lacing members.
Outcome & Lessons Learnt
The methods we chose meant that the majority of the existing roof structure could be retained, with only the damaged sections requiring replacement. As a result, the client was delighted with the project’s outcome – replacing the entire roof would have cost a considerable sum and taken longer to complete.
Since the completion of this project, we’ve been fortunate to work with our referring project management company on numerous further commissions together. They had the following to say about working with the LSY team:
“We have a great relationship with LSY. They have always supported us and our clients to a very high standard and deliver on sometimes very tight timescales. We look forward to continuing to work with them for many years to come.” – Patrick Murphy BSC(HONS), Director
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