SCHÖCK CREATIVITY AT NEW
GREENWICH DESIGN DISTRICT
SCHOCK
The O2 Arena on the Greenwich Peninsula has a new neighbour
– Greenwich Design District – providing 14,000sqm of affordable
studios and workshops for creatives working across areas as
diverse as design, fashion, art, music and digital technology. This
pedestrianised, vibrant neighbourhood, comprises sixteen freestanding
buildings, situated around five courtyards and a central
public square. With the exception of the single level Food Hall, the
buildings range in height from three-to-five levels and are a mix of
reinforced concrete, structural steel and cross-laminated timber.
Minimising thermal bridging is crucial
Improved thermal performance is becoming increasingly
important in large new build developments and the prevention of
thermal bridging has a huge role to play. Ineffectual insulation at
cantilever connectivity points results in local heat loss, requiring
more energy to maintain the building’s internal temperature. Low
internal surface temperatures around the thermal bridge can
also cause condensation, leading to structural integrity problems
with absorbent insulation products and the potentially serious
occurrence of mould growth
Design freedom from Schöck
As the leading international supplier of structural thermal breaks,
Schöck has hundreds of variants in its Isokorb range, offering a
solution to practically any design detail. The predominating Isokorb
at the Design District is for concrete-to-concrete, but not all of
the requirements were so relatively straightforward. Building C1
is a prime example. Set on the east side of the main entrance,
this three-level workshop and studio building has a basketball
court on the roof. It has unusually deep floor zones, several large
cantilevered elements and a steel mesh enclosure supported
on a braced-steel frame around the court, which utilises Isokorb
elements for concrete-to-steel detailing. There is also an external
staircase and concrete cantilevered walkway. Where the walkway
encloses the staircase, there are particularly large cantilevers and
here the walkway slabs, supported by a main beam, enclose cast-in
steel beams and three cross-beams. These are bolted back to the
structural slabs using Isokorb units for steel-to-steel construction
and steel construction-to-concrete slabs.
Large capacity thermal breaks required
Building D1 is a community of studios, workshops and office
spaces, which structurally consists of robust concrete slabs – with
trees located on the external decks. Some extremely large capacity
structural thermal break elements were developed to take the
loads. Other buildings that incorporate Schöck Isokorb solutions
are A1; which marks the main access to the Design District. D4, with
its tall slim facade; and A4 on the western edge of the site, which
welcomes visitors with a large roof-mounted illuminated sign.
Totally verifiable performance
The comprehensive Schöck Isokorb range enables concrete-toconcrete,
steel–to-steel and concrete-to-steel detailing. And there
are solutions too that provide a maintenance-free alternative to
wrapped parapets; along with a product which thermally insulates
connections for reinforced concrete walls and columns. Products
meet full compliance with the relevant UK building regulations,
have NHBC approval and offer LABC Registration. There is also the
security of independent BBA Certification.
For a free copy of the Schöck Thermal Bridging Guide; the Schöck
Specifiers Guide or to view the range of downloadable software,
contact Schöck on 01865 290 890 or visit the website at
www.schoeck.co.uk
PAGE 17 - ARCHETECH