Architect and Builder Dec 2017 / Jan 2018 | Page 25

This Northern block is expressed in a grid
of steel structure and finished in a corrugated
cladding. This and the south-light saw-tooth roof
structure refer to the historical grain-delivery track
shed at the Silo itself. The roof provides an even
spread of light over the primary training area and
pool, deep into the building.
In additional to the entrances to the apartments
and the gym, the ground levels of both buildings
include retail units that provide amenity and
emphasise the urban, public nature of the public
realm. A restaurant spills out from below the gym
and a florist and audio shop below the apartments.
assistance of cantilevering concrete walls and an
intricate supporting structural steelwork system
to deal with the corner cantilevers. The external
fire escape stairs, gym walkway bridge, feature
liftshaft and pop-out structures are predominantly
lightweight steel structures that are transferred at
podium level.
Post-tensioning was tricky on this project due
to select off-shutter slab edges, exposed concrete
soffits, cast-in slab edge steelwork and other
limitations on positioning of live ends and stress
boxes due to congested cast-in services, façade
mullion fixing positions and balustrades.
Structural and Civil Engineering
Engineered by Sutherland, Silos 3 & 4 structure are
made up of 3 individual towers consisting of 8, 10
and 12 suspended levels constructed above a retail
podium level and 2 levels of basement parking.
The basement is encompassed by a 400mm
wide reinforced concrete sheetpile lateral support
wall with a significant drainage system to cope with
the water ingress as the structure is approximately
13m away from the sea wall with the lowest
basement level situated 2m below mean sea level.
Concrete mix designs, steelwork galvanising and
paint specifications on this project were driven by
exposure to severe marine conditions and were
impacted by the Greenstar requirements.
The make-up of the gym and residential
structure is typically 280mm flat soffit unbonded
post-tensioned slabs spanning internal structural
grids of 7.5x8.5m, flat soffit balcony slabs varying
in thickness between 220mm and 180mm
spanning the 8.5m structural grid and cantilevering
3.8m over the Silo public realm below with the
No 3 & 4 Silos
25