: Bi-Steel

Bi-Steel

Corefast selected for new 18-storey Birmingham tower

01 May 2006

A striking new landmark is rising in south west Birmingham – the dramatic 18-storey Birmingham 1 tower on a busy intersection of the A38 Bristol Road is thrusting skywards towards completion.

A glass and zinc clad tower is the centrepiece of a new student halls of residence scheme – a design and build project of value circa £20m - conceived by Opal Property Ltd, and being built by Ocon Construction. The tower sits prominently on the main corner of the impressive steel framed four-block development. The steelwork contractor for the project, Henry Smith (Constructional Engineers) Ltd, has overall responsibility for the design and erection of the steelwork and integration of the core. The steelwork covers the full external footprint of the site and encloses a spacious internal courtyard for use by the 604 students who will take up residence there in September 2007. The scheme includes a luxury leisure suite and swimming pool, an internet café and ancillary commercial and retail areas.

Corefast selected for central stability core

Birmingham 1 incorporates many state-of-the-art construction techniques one of which is Corefast, the unique modular structural building core system developed by Corus using its steel/concrete composite Bi-Steel panels. A Corefast core is created by fabricating these panels into modules off-site then quickly erecting them on-site, typically up to six times faster than traditional reinforced concrete. Apart from speed of construction, Corefast offers other advantages over reinforced concrete. These include delivering a highly accurate structure, with superior strength and stiffness, and a reduced footprint. Added benefits include the off-site creation of openings for doors and services, and installation of many fixings and attachments.

The decision to consider Corefast as a possible methodology to create the central lift/stair core was made by structural engineer Tier Consult. The initial suggestion to utilise Corefast came from the steelwork contractor, Henry Smith, following their earlier involvement with Corus on other schemes. Always keen to embrace innovative modular construction technologies, Ocon was impressed by the Corefast proposal; value engineering had reduced the number of structural cores required, improving buildability and increasing cost efficiency.

Core erected at rate of one storey a day

Once Corefast was selected as the methodology for constructing the building core, work commenced on the scheme in January 2006.

The standard Bi-Steel panels were manufactured by Corus in its Scunthorpe plant and fabricated into the required formats for the Birmingham One structure by Hallcalm.

On-site the first phase of constructing the Corefast core involved the erection of pre-fabricated 15 metre long panels to create the first four floors. Corefast enables the precast stairs to be installed as the core progresses, giving enclosed safe access to the upper levels. Further health and safety benefits include the fact that joints between Corefast modules are located 1m above floor levels, thus providing edge protection to the core void. Erection of the surrounding steelwork followed. On completion of these lower floors the build has progressed upwards two storeys at a time.

Corefast is going up in the world!

On-site speed of construction was as predicted with the core for the first four floors, including installation of stairs and other appropriate internal fit-out work, being completed in just five days. The core for the higher storeys is going up at the rate of one storey per day. This is up to six times faster than would have been the case had a reinforced concrete core been specified.

Ocon is delighted with how the installation of Corefast is progressing and estimates that it will save around five weeks on an 86-week programme. This is a very welcome benefit as it gives the company some flexibility when the deadline for contract completion and handover approaches. This is scheduled to take place on 31 August 2007, just in time for the new university term commencing in September that year.

Commenting on the use of Corefast on the project, Ocon’s Regional Construction Director, Steve Dando said: “We were perhaps a little sceptical when Corus said that with good planning and an experienced construction team we could erect Corefast at the rate of one storey per day. Well that’s what we’re doing, and all credit to the site team who have been making excellent progress on this project, much of this down to our decision to use Corefast.” Ocon Construction ltd