ARCHITECTURAL FOCUS
A trailblazer for innovative fire safety design , ARUP collaborated with Building Control and the London Fire Brigade to configure each workspace as a separate fire compartment , augmented by smoke extract and other mitigations , addressing shortcomings in existing standards with respect to the use of mass timber in major buildings .
Simon Bateman , Senior Structural Engineer , ARUP said : “ The design included a bespoke smoke ventilation system and stringent fire safety performance criteria for the CLT panels , including the systems that need to interface with the CLT panels , such as fire doors , fire dampers and encapsulation .” On site , BKS consistently addressed rigorous best practice on site , including a stringent focus on working at height requirements - as the jettied structure rapidly began to rise alongside the busy main road – and moisture protection for the varied CLT elements , including end grain protection , with special emphasis on achieving compartmentation for fire performance .
The offsite benefits of the timber solution played a significant role in the project and BKS ’ package included versatile CLT panels forming sheer walls , roof and floor slabs , with steelwork providing extra support around the loading bay and plant room . The interlock between the CLT panels – up to 19.2m in length – enabled continuous spanning and structural robustness , while the team at ARUP simplified the connection details .
The offsite delivery model reduced the build phase on site by 25 %, lowering waste and provided cost
certainty compared to using traditional construction methods . It also enabled effective design clash identification and accurate installation planning - as such , the structural elements of the project were completed on site by BKS in just eight weeks .
Furthermore , the project achieved high levels of energy efficiency and sustainability , with structural timber making significant contributions thanks to the material ’ s natural ability to capture 297.9 tonnes of carbon within its 391 m3 of CLT walls and floors , whilst emitting only 10 % of this during manufacturing and transport ( 28.8 tonnes CO2e ).
With full PEFC chain of custody certification , the responsible management of the European forests by BKS ’ supply chain ensures that the timber for the project will have regrown in just 66 seconds .
Now complete , WorkStack offers affordability , flexibility and excellent transport links . The 14 new units are ideal spaces to allow new creative enterprises to grow and the project breaks the mould of ubiquitous ‘ tin-shack ’ industrial units . Lee Roberts , Pre-Construction Director at B & K Structures , concluded : “ WorkStack is designed to create a new class of high-density industrial buildings . We believe there will be ample scope to copy this building ’ s methodology to other sites while raising the bar on industrial design , in a way that will be of national significance .”
For further information on this and other exemplar projects visit : www . bkstructures . co . uk
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