Location: Bristol
Project value: £1m
Scope: New multi-storey timber-framed apartment blocks
Services Provided: Sub-structure, drainage design and liaison with geotechnical specialists.
Best value design on a highly complex site
PRO Structures was invited to carry out the engineering design of the substructure and drainage for Prelon Commercial Ltd, working closely with GE2 Architects, for this new multi-storey residential development of 14 apartments in Bedminster, Bristol.
The building required a complex geotechnical remediation strategy, as there were tanks buried in the ground underneath it which, we established, would need to be retained to avoid the possibility of a contamination leak, and so our design had to avoid putting undue load on these containers.
The suitability of existing site boundary walls to remain as part of the development also needed to be ascertained, as it was unclear on first inspection whether these had a retaining role or simply acted as a boundary. In the event, further testing revealed rock behind, and so we were able to design a façade to preserve the wall but bring it into keeping with the new development.
We worked closely with geotechnical consultants Geo Testing Services to resolve these issues, assisting both the project manager and architect to achieve best value in relation to the structural design on this highly complex scheme – avoiding expensive and potentially dangerous contamination removal, as well as ascertaining the feasibility of modifying the existing boundary wall rather than replacing it.
Projected completion: August 2015
PRO Structures’ work involved:
- Sub-structure design
- Drainage design
- Close liaison with geotechnical experts
