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N E W S T E E L C O N S T R U C T I O N

MAY 2006 VOL 14 NO 5

More for LondonBirmingham students get high riseState of the art fabrication

www.new-steel-construction.com

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f o r A L L y o u r b e n d i n g n e e d s . . .

The ANGLE RING Co Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 121 557 7241 Fax: +44 (0) 121 522 4555Email: sales@anglering.com Web: www.anglering.com

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Angle Ring offer the widest range of bending techniques available,and all from our single location, ensuring quality is maintained throughout.

Whether cold rolling, hot bending, plate rolling, press braking, pipe forming, mandrel bending, spiralbending, bespoke sections or tube manipulation…we offer the most comprehensive range, covering the largest sections, to the tightestradii possible.

Angle Ring, as always, the UK’s #1 steel bending company

Make it 3 Dimensional...With architects & designers being more creative thanever, there is only one company who can offer thecomplex bends required to meet these demands.

A wide range ofsections can becurved to3 dimensions,including channels,beams, tubes, hollowsections, plate andflat bar.

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www.new-steel-construction.com

N E W S T E E L C O N S T R U C T I O N

MAY 2006 VOL 14 NO 5

CONTENTS

The BritishConstructionalSteelworkAssociation Ltd

5 Editor’s comment Overseas visitors should be impressed by thescale of the UK steelwork industry’s investment in modern fabricatingequipment, says Nick Barrett.

6 News The steelwork sector will be ready for the introduction of CEMarking, which is expected next year.

10 Diary

PROFILE

12 Nick Barrett reports on the newly opened Barrett Steel Buildings stateof the art fabrication facility.

FEATURES

18 Corefast is speeding up construction of cores on an 18 storey halls ofresidence project in Birmingham. Victoria Gough visits campus.

22 The latest phase of the More London project is well underway. MartinCooper is impressed by the scale of what is widely regarded as one ofthe capital’s best business locations.

26 The controversial former Millennium Dome is being given a newlease of life as a US-style entertainment complex to be known asthe O 2 Arena. Martin Cooper reports on the vital role of steel in thetransformation.

28 Debbie Smith of BRE Fire and Security and Geoff Deakin ofwarringtonre report on tests on 15 water based intumescent reprotection products available on the UK market.

32 David Brown, Deputy Director of the Steel Construction Institute,ags up what engineers should watch for when working with any ofthe portal frame structures being introduced to the UK market fromAustralia.

34 Publications

34 Courses and Seminars

36 40 Years Ago Our look back at the concerns of yesteryear through thepages of Building With Steel.

38 Advisory Desk The latest advice from the Steel Construction Institute,in AD 300.

38 New and Revised Codes and Standards

40 BCSA members

42 SCI members

Cover ImageMORE LONDONClient: More London DevelopmentsArchitect: Foster & PartnersStructural Engineer: ArupSteelwork Contractor: Severeld-Reeve Structures Ltd

EDITORNick Barrett Tel: 01323 422483

nick@new-steel-construction.comDEPUTY EDITORMartin Cooper Tel: 01892 538191martin@new-steel-construction.comCONTRIBUTING EDITORTy Byrd Tel: 01892 524455ty@barrett-byrd.comPRODUCTION EDITORAndrew Pilcher Tel: 01892 524481andrew@new-steel-construction.comISDN: 01892 557302NEWS REPORTERSMike Walter, Victoria GoughADVERTISING SALES MANAGERSally Devine Tel: 01474 833871sally@new-steel-construction.com

PUBLISHED BYThe British Constructional Steelwork Association Ltd4 Whitehall Court, Westminster, London SW1A 2ESTelephone 020 7839 8566 Fax 020 7976 1634Website ww w.steelconstruction.orgEmail postroom@steelconstruction.org

The Steel Construction InstituteSilwood Park, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7QNTelephone 01344 623 345 Fax 01344 622 944Website www.steel-sci.orgEmail reception@steel-sci.org

Corus Construction and IndustrialPO Box 1, Brigg Road, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire DN16 1BPTelephone 01724 404040 Fax 01724 404224Website w ww.corusconstruction.comEmail tsm@corusgroup.com

CONTRACT PUBLISHER & ADVERTISING SALESBarrett, Byrd AssociatesLinden House, Linden Close,Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 8HHTel: 01892 524455www.barrett-byrd.com

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARDDr D Tordoff (Chairman) ; Mr N Barrett; Mrs Sally Devine;Mr D G Brown, SCI; Mr M Crosby, Capita Symonds;Mr R Gordon, Mace Ltd; Mr W Gover, Consultant;Mr R Harrison, Glentworth Fabrications Ltd;Mr A Hughes, Tubelines; Mr A Palmer, Buro Happold;Mr R Steeper, Corus; Mr O Tyler, Wilkinson Eyre,The role of the Editorial Advisory Board is to advise on the overall styleand content of the magazine.

New Steel Construction welcomes contributions on any suitable topics relating tosteel construction. Publication is at the discretion of the Editor. Views expressed inthis publication are not necessarily those of the BCSA, SCI, Corus or the ContractPublisher. Although care has been taken to ensure that all information containedherein is accurate with relation to either matters of fact or accepted practice at thetime of publication, the BCSA, SCI, Corus and the Editor assume no responsibility forany errors or misinterpretations of such information or any loss or damage arisingfrom or related to its use. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any formwithout the permission of the publishers.

CHANGES TO THE MAILING LISTIf you wish to notify us of a change:Non Members of either the SCI or the BCSA please telephoneCorus on 01724 404863

Members BCSA Telephone BCSA on 020 7839 8566Members SCI Telephone SCI on 01344 623 345

SUBSCRIPTIONSTo take out a subscription please telephone 01344 623 345Annual subscription £92.00 UK, £117.00 elsewhere.

All rights reserved ©2006. ISSN 0968-0098

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The first 4mm cold rolled channel has arrived. We’ve invested £4 million

in new production lines to manufacture the most versatile steel sectionaround. This adds up to big savings in steelwork fabrication costs.

And 4mm sections open up a wide range of design possibilities forengineers. You can use Multichannel4 for windposts, secondary support

members and other areas cold rolled channels couldn’t previously go.

With increasingly pressurised site programmes you need to reduce yourworkload. Why bother cutting, punching, fabricating, welding, shot-

blasting, painting and transporting when you can order Multichannel4.The significant saving will suit your not so versatile budget.

To obtain one of the new handbooks call 01944 712000or visit www.kingspanstructural.com

VERSATILE CHANNESECTIONS.FOR NOT SO VERSATIBUDGETS.

Kingspan Metl-Con Ltd. Sherburn, Malton, North Yorkshire, YO17 8PQ. England.Tel: 01944 712000 Fax: 01944 710555 e-mail: sales@kingspanmetlcon.co.uk

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Editor’s Comment

Overseas constructional steelwork sectors frequently visit the UK to try and grasp what it is thatgives our industry such a commanding share of the market. Some of the reasons why a particularproject opts for steel in the UK may not apply in all of these markets of course; such as the nearimpossibility of using concrete in congested inner city sites where formwork and multiple tradeswould be, sometimes dangerously, working almost on top of one another. Wide open spaces in ‘newworld’ countries can mean that these constraints often do not arise, but on many of these countries’own landmark projects steel is increasingly chosen for the familiar reasons like sustainability, cost andadaptability.

Increases in the productivity and technical excellence of the product of fabrication facilities issomething overseas visitors like to keep abreast of, and a favourite stop on their tours are placeswhere they can inspect new state of the art, fully integrated design and manufacture facilities such asyou can read about in this issue of NSC.

There are varying sizes of facilities in operation in the UK market, some able to handle the very largevolumes associated with large scale Terminal 5 type jobs, and others designed for more specialised orsmaller scale projects. There is a key message for overseas visitors to take home – that UK steelworkcontractors are prepared to invest in the latest machinery, which brings competitive advantage tothemselves and delivers improved quality and service to customers.

Glossy brochures don’t do it, neither do all singing and dancing presentations at seminars andexhibitions. What wins is an integrated focus across the steel sector on productivity gains that can

be shared up the supply chain, along with investment in extensive research and development as wellas provision of full technical support. That is the winning formula. Plus of course the willingness ofsteelwork contractors to stick their chins out and make the investments that clients will benet from.

Harmonised standard makes marking possibleCE Marking of fabricated steelwork could be possible from late next year, assuming the standard– EN 1090-1 - is accepted at Formal Vote later this year (see News).

This is a potentially tricky area for steelwork contractors, but be assured that all the necessary stepsare being taken to ensure that CE Marking can be introduced seamlessly. The CE Marking approachallows the legal requirements of the Construction Products Regulations (CPR) to be satised in a fairlystraightforward way, while the alternative approach depends on Trading Standards Ofcers inspectinga heavy load of documentation relating to structures or products. This means, among other things,keeping even more detailed records for a long time.

BCSA has developed a two strand strategy to help members with the introduction of CE Markingand alternative means of satisfying the requirements of the CPR. A step by step procedure will bedeveloped for those who want to CE Mark their products, while for those who decide to adopt thealternative approach BCSA will develop principles for meeting the minimum requirements given inthe CPR.

The Steel Construction Certication Scheme (SCCS) is submitting an application to become a fullyNotied Body for EN 1090-1 that will allow it to carry out the necessary third party certication of themanufacturers Factory Production Control systems for producing components to EN 1090-1.

SCCS will develop two approaches: a CE Marking system for steelwork contractors with ISO 9001

certication (by SCCS); and a stand alone CE Marking system based solely on the requirements ofEN 1090-1.

Whichever route a steelwork supplier decides to take, clients could then be condent that the SCCScertied organisations would comply with the regulations.

Investment the

key ingredient

Nick Barrett - Editor

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NEWS

CE Marking strategy being preparedCE Marking of fabricated steelwork is anticipated to become a reality by late 2007 and the BCSA is

developing guidance for companies wishing tomark their products and for those who do not. Although the Construction Products Regula- tions (CPR) - and the concept of CE Marking - wereinitially introduced to the UK in 1991, they are notmandatory.

Steel sections are a construction product and the CE Marking of certain hot rolled structuralsteels was introduced last year. However, putting products on the market which

do not satisfy certain essential requirements is acriminal offence.

There are two ways that products can satisfy the requirements set out by the CPR: CE Markingand providing, when asked, Trading StandardsOfcers with sufcient information that proves aproduct meets the relevant harmonised standard. The BCSA said, if carried out correctly, CEMarking satises the legal requirements given in the CPR. The second approach, however, leaves the manufacturer at risk of prosecution as all rel-evant documentation may not get examined and

some information may even have been lost. The BCSA also said steelwork companies not

CE Marking their products must retain all docu-ments for all structures/products produced andput on the market. To navigate this legislation, the BCSA is putting together a two strand strategy and developing astep-by-step procedure for those wishing to CEMark their products. Meanwhile, for those mem-bers wishing to adopt the alternative approach, the BCSA is compiling a set of principles for meet-ing the minimum requirements given in the CPR.

Conder is top ofthe class in ShefeldConder Structures is erectingsteelwork for a major design andbuild contract for ten studentaccommodation blocks inShefeld.

The project consists of 500en-suite rooms, with eachblock incorporating a ‘step-in’architect-designed bay to createan exterior that integrates with the next block at lower level. Thisis also said to offer students ahigh level of privacy. Conder is supplyingapproximately 1,000t of beamand stick steelwork for maincontractor Ocon Construction. Occupying a city centre site, the ten blocks are set out in two sets of ve, rising from four

levels to a maximum of eightlevels high. Conder Managing Director,Gordon Riley said: “Weformulated the design of our

steelwork around the recessedbays in the oor plans, connectingeach frame of the two separatesets of ve buildings at oorlevel.” The nature of the conned citycentre site dictated a carefulsequencing and managementprocess, according to PeterMoran, Ocon ConstructionDirector.

All ten blocks were completed to full width at each level and then to full height , beforework commenced on the nextstructure. “With no road closurespossible, the main access to thesite was through a narrow ‘centralcorridor’, the only available siting

for the mobile cranes, makingon-site management extremelyvital,” Mr Ridley said.

The complex is scheduled toopen in September.

Tall shed nears completionA ridge height of almost 42.5m makes a new distribution centre in Northeet,Kent, one of the tallest warehouse structures in the UK. The steelwork and top-out for the new 160,000 sq ft facility was completed in late summer last yearand construction is now nearing completion.

Atlas Ward Structures has designed, fabricated and erected the 1,200t ofstructural steelwork on behalf of main contractor Bowmer & Kirkland. Being constructed for client Kimberly Clark, the new warehouse will holdup to 30,000, 3m high, pallets in the high bay, with further low bay storage in a12m high zone. Costing a total of £9.26M, the new distribution centre replacesa previous warehouse which was destroyed by re.

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NEWS

New regs highlighted at Metals seminar

Foundation work has begun for theiconic Solar Pyramid project nearChestereld in Derbyshire.

Once complete, the 58m tall steelstructure will be the world’s biggest timepiece and the UK’s largest workof art. Built on the site of a former colliery, the edice will consist of three highly

polished stainless steel leaningblade-like towers which will casta shadow onto an elliptical sundial

base telling the date and time. Project creator Richard LesterSwain said approximately 50t of steelwill be needed for the blades, whichwill be constructed with 4m x 4m x10m triangular sections.

“Because the work is on thegrounds of a former colliery, pilesof more than 20m are required,” Mr

Swain said. “Once this part of projecthas been completed, the localauthority will appoint contractors for the structure itself.” The giant timepiece is scheduledfor completion in June 2007.

The recent Metals Forum healthand safety seminar outlined a

number of important industry topics including the new Cont rolof Noise Regulations as well as thehierarchy to be followed under theWorking at Height Regulations. Chaired by Tony Woods,Director of Metals Packaging

Manufacturers, the seminar washeld at the National Metalforming

Centre in West Bromwich on 6thApril. More than 115 health andsafety practi tioners and productionbased personnel attended themeeting. Presentat ions were made by theHealth & Safety Executive (HSE)

and industry specialists covering topics such as acciden t analysis in

the met als indus try.Of the current HSE programmes,

special attention was paid to thenew Control of Noise Regulations,with practical demonstrationsof how noise can effect workershearing.

To support the noise regulationssome techniques for managing and

controlling noise in the workplacewere presented by the IndustrialNoise and Vibration Centre. The BCSA also outlined thehierarchy to be followed under the new Working at HeightRegulations.

Time is

right forgiant steelpyramid

More than 5,000t of steelwork will be supplied by Severeld ReeveStructures for the construction of Wigan’s Grand Arcade shoppingcentre. Working on behalf of main contractor Shepherd Construction,Severeld began steel erection in October 2005 and over a period of 34weeks the Arcade’s superstructure will be constructed. The project’s client Modus Properties said the arcade will transformWigan town centre. The £52M project is scheduled for completion inMarch 2007 and the massive 425,000 ft 2 scheme incorporates 35 retailunits and the provision of a new multi-storey car park.

More than 75% of the development is already pre-let with tenantsincluding Debenhams, Marks & Spencer, Next, HMV and Waterstones.

A grandarcade for Wigan

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NEWS

A R O U N D T H E P R E S S

An artist’s impression of the land bridge at the Olympic Park © London 2012

Property Week7 April 2006 Crisis at CastlepointCastlepoint retail park closedjust before Christmas because

of cracking concrete in the carpark. Now, its future is uncer- tain. “What I have said to retailersis that my understanding of theproblem we are talking aboutinvolves a very signicant re-pair. I am not ruling out evenmore extensive repairs, includ-ing partial or even total demo-lition of the car park.” (DavidPaine, of retail park managersCastlepoint Partnership)

Contract Journal12 April 2006 Offsite given shot in thearm by the armyThe offsite industry won a voteof condence from the govern-ment last week when it gained £132M worth of business forupgrades to army accommo-dation. Corus Living Solutionsgeneral manager Scott Carr told CJ one modular buildingwill roll off its North Wales pro-duction line every 40 minutesfor the project.

New Civil Engineer30 March 2006 Expert blasts governmenton re testingThe government is “stickingits head in the sand” over thepressing need for more fullscale re testing, a leadingstructural researcher said thisweek. Professor Colin Bailey ofManchester University hit outat the “serious disadvantagesand limitations” inherent in theprescriptive approach popularwith governments.

Financial Times 11 April 2006 Severeld’s order bookhits £210mShares in Severeld-Rowenrose more than 10 per centyesterday as the structuralsteel group involved in the con-struction of Arsenal’s new sta-dium and Heathrow’s Terminal5 reported healthy prot growthand gave a bullish view of theyear ahead. The world’s largest structuralsteel construction companysaid buoyant construction in-dustry demand was driving en-quiries, pushing its order book to £210m.

Countdown to London OlympicsIn order to prevent damaging and time-wasting disputes on any of its

construction sites, Olympic Deliv-ery Authority (ODA) Chairman JackLemley is set to enlist the help of a team of high-level industry experts. His plan is to recruit top architects,QSs, engineers, lawyers and con- tractors to form a dispute resolutionboard. They would have the power tomediate and make binding adjudica- tion decisions. Meanwhile, the ODA has also an-nounced that it will be using the thirdedition of the New Engineering Con- tract on all projects.

This contract requires a partner-ing approach to both design and con-struction based on mutual trust andcooperation.

So far, ve consortia are believed to have registered bids with the ODAfor the role of delivery partner, whichis expected to be awarded in Au-gust.

The ve are: Mace and LaingO’Rourke; Parsons Brinckerhoff andTaylor Woodrow; Bovis Lend Lease,Capita Symonds and Kellogg Brown

Root; a consortium led by Bechtel;and Amec and Balfour Beatty.

Although the role of the delivery

partner may alter slightly, it has beenclaimed the main function will be to

oversee all individual projects andmake sure they are on time. David Higgins, ODA Chief Execu- tive said recently that the eventualwinner may well be excluded fromindividual contracts. He said that a number of biddershad approached the ODA about apotential conict of interest, but de-livery partner companies would notbe automatically excluded from con-struction work. On the design front, no architectshave yet been appointed for any of the arenas, with the exception of theAquatics Centre. This £70M project

was awarded to Hadid Design, butits original design was deemed too

expensive and a redesign is currentlyunderway.

Before many of the projects canget underway an estimated £200Mclean-up must be undertaken at theOlympic Park site. At present six rms have pitchedfor the work: Birse; Kier; May Gurney;Morrison, Mowlem and Nuttall. In another development LondonMayor Ken Livingstone has an-nounced the formation of an organi-sation that will pool the resourcesof all design bodies at the GreaterLondon Authority involved in theOlympics.

Steelwork erection for Twickenham’snew £90M South Stand is wellunderway and is scheduled forcompletion by December.

The ofcial home of EnglishRugby Union, will have increasedits capacity from 75,000 to 82,000once main contractor Mowlem (nowpart of Carillion) has nished theredevelopment. Steelwork contractor ClevelandBridge is supplying and erecting steelfor two separate on site packages;3,000t for the commercial and hotelcomplex, and a further 1,500t for thegrandstand. The new South Stand consistsof three levels, a lower concrete tier which is new complete, and amid and upper tier which are steel

framed. Housed within the stand isa commercial complex with a sportsand leisure centre, and a 4-star hotel

According to Cleveland BridgeProject Manager, Andy Hall, theupper tiers will be ready for thisyear’s Autumn internationals. “The plan is to initially use the

stand without a roof, and then erect the steel roof during December,” Hallsaid. For the stand Cleveland issupplying rakers and trusses ofvarious sizes, while the commercialand hotel complex requires steelcolumns and beams.

Steel scores at new Twickenham stand

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Described as one of the greenest buildings in the country,brewer Adnams’ new warehouse and distribution centreis currently under construction. The environmentallyfriendly building, being constructed by main contractorHaymills, is expected to be completed and operational bySeptember. Using a combination of steel and timber frame, thebuilding will be clad with hemp, lime and chalk blocks andhave a roof formed of Sedum – a living carpet of eshyplants and grass. AC Bacon Engineering supplied the 220t of structuralsteelwork. Director of AC Bacon Engineering NevilleHowling said: “This building shows the exibility of steelby being able to combine it with timber.” The structural steelwork had to be connected to the two

Glulam roof beams, each 41.6m long – these are said to be the longest Glulam beams to be used on a project in theUK. “Special care was taken in detailing, fabrication anderection of the steelwork, especially with the connections to the timber Glulam roof beams,” Mr Howling said. “The steelwork connections had to marry up with

pre-drilled holes and slots that were already in theprefabricated roof beams.” The structure in Southwold, Suffolk, will have many‘green’ features including including solar panels in the roofwhich will provide 80 per cent of the facility’s hot water.Rain water, which will be harvested from the roof, willbe used for the facility’s washing equipment. In addition, the building will have its own waste water system whichcleans the water and returns it to a nearby pond.

NEWS

N E W

S I N B R I E F

The new Stainless Steel

Specialist Course brochure

from the British Stainless Steel

Association (BSSA) is nowavailable. The course consists

of 16 self-study modules with

two levels of certication -

intermediate and full certicate.

For more information contact:

alison.murphy@bssa.org.uk

CSC has launched its new

Connection Design Suite which

is fully integrated with Fastrak

Building Designer. The new

Suite is said to be able to check

whole oors’ or even whole

buildings’ connections giving

designers a quick assessment

of where standard connections

will not be satisfactory.

Cleveland Bridge is in the

running to supply a large

proportion of the 60,000t of steel

required by the Rosyth shipyard

for two new aircraft carriers.The company is also in talks

about a £35M contract to build

a steel cover over the former

Chernobyl nuclear power station

in Ukraine.

ICSCS’07 which will be held

in Manchester next year is

seeking papers on topics such

as buildings, bridges, beams

and columns, fabrication and

erection, and case studies.

Prospective authors are invited

to submit abstracts of 200 to 300

words by 30 September 2006 to:

mcc.reg@manchester.ac.uk

Fabsec has launched FBEAM

2006 a new design software

programme said to offer

designers and developers of

steel-framed buildings major

cost savings. The programme

also gives structural engineers

the capability to manage

multiple optimised beams.

Kelvin bridged by longest span girderMain contractor Farrans opted for the most environmentally friendly

and cost effective way of construct-ing a new bridge across Glasgow’sKelvin River, a 61.5m single span steelgirder believed to be the longest everin the UK.

Grant Scholes, Project Managerfor bridge designers Atkins said aconstruction method was required that would cause minimal disruption to the river while allowing workers

to remain on either bank.“A composite steel girder solution

gave us the facility to crane inbraced pairs of single span beamseliminating the need for work in theriver channel,” Mr Scholes said. Other important factors forchoosing a single span steel girder,Scholes said, was the light nature ofsteel which allowed relatively easycraneage, while minimising loads to the piled foundation.

The single span bridge hasan overall length of 62.5m and is

16.3m wide.Steelwork contractor Faireld-

Mabey delivered the structure tosite in 18 pieces which were thenassembled into three 62.5m 128tbraced pairs. In total, Faireld-Mabey supplied384t of steelwork which alsoincluded six main girders measuring2.4m deep and 1150mm wide. After four weeks of pre assemblyon site, the three pairs of bracedgirders were lifted into positionduring one weekend possession.The procedure took only one dayand was completed by two mobilecranes, one an 800t unit and theother 1000t machine. The craneswere positioned on the west andeast abutments and lifted the bracedpairs in tandem lifts.

The bridge is scheduled to open to trafc in June.

Essential steel industry information

Environmentally friendly shed is taking shape

The 2006 Directory for Speciers and Buyersin the steel construction industry is out now. This essential directory lists details ofevery BCSA member for 2006; from Britishsteelwork contractors to their suppliers. RQSC (Registered Qualied SteelworkContractors) listings are also included asare Quality Assurance Certication details.

The directory, which is illus- trated throughout with a number ofimages of members’ work, also con - tains details about steel as a materialand its benets from re protection todesign possibilities.

To receive your free copy email:Gillian.mitchell@steelconstruction.org

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15 – 17 May 2006 Steel, Space & Composite Structures

The 8th international conferencepromotes international communication,new ideas, developments andinnovations. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.For details email:cipremie@singnet.com.sg

22 June 2006Structural Steel Design Awards

LuncheonWinners of the 2006 awardssponsored by Corus, the BCSA and theSCI, will be announced.Savoy Hotel, London. ContactGillian.Mitchell@steelconstruction.org

8 – 9 November 2006Steel Construction Conference

The conference coincides with the 50thAnniversary of the Southern AfricanInstitute of Steel Construction (SAISC)JohannesburgFor details email renee@saisc.co.za

30 July – 1 August 2007International Conference on Steel

and Composite StructuresCall for papers for the third internationalconference. University of ManchesterFor details emailmcc.reg@manchester.ac.uk

NEWS

REIDsteel wins second Queen’s AwardOne of the Queen’s Award for Enter-prise has been given for the second time to structural steel rm John Reid

& Sons. The company won the awardpreviously in 1985 and now 21 yearslater, on the Queen’s 80th birthday,has been given it for a second time. A total of 145 awards were given to businesses to mark their success.The award gives businesses such asJohn Reid & Sons, a good opportunity to prove to customers how success-ful the business is. It can also opendoors to new customers and canraise a company’s prole. Managing

Director Michael Reid Said: “Since1919 we have exported to 140 coun- tries and hope to add more to the tally

in years to come.”John Reid & Sons, known as

REIDsteel, design and make a widevariety of steel structures, includingwide span aircraft hangers, grand-stands, industrial buildings and roadbridges.

As well as designing and fabri-cating the steelwork, REIDsteel getsinvolved with details such as clad-ding and insulation as well as makingaccessories such as doors and win-

dows for its buildings and anti-skidsteel oors. An award presentation will be heldwith a representative of The Queen in

attendance. As part of the award, thecompany will use The Queen’s AwardEmblem for ve years as a symbol ofits commercial success.

Fisher completestruss movement

Diary

Many of Belfast’s city centre streetswere recently closed over twoweekend nights as seven large steel trusses were transported from theHarland & Wolff shipyard to the Vic- toria Square development. The steel trusses vary in sizeand weight, from the largest whichis 28m-long and weighs 100t, to the

smallest which is 16m-long and 35t. Brian Keys, Project Manager forsteelwork contractor Fisher Engi-neering said: “The trusses are sobig they had to be fabricated off-site. Space is also at a premium atVictoria Square, so we delivered the

elements to the shipyard and welded them together there.” Fisher Engineering secured arolling road closure for a Friday andSaturday night. The trusses were in-dividually transported by lowloaderover the rst night and stacked be-side the project. The following night, one street

beside the development was shutas the seven trusses were lifted intoposition by a 1,000 capacity crane. The trusses support four levelsof apartments over a retail serviceyard. “To allow for an unobstructedarea without supporting columns,

we had to haveextremely large trusses,” Mr Keysexplained.

The £300MVictoria Squareproject includes75,000m2 of re- tail space and90 residentialapartments. Itis scheduled forcompletion byearly 2008.

FICEP has launched a new ScribingSystem which is said to automati-cally make lines and weld symbolsas well measurements on beams, thereby reducing the normal labourintensive marking out process. The new feature is now avail-able on FICEP’s 1002 DZB, a drillingand sawing line with a twin rotat-ing head that can high speed drillbeams on all sides. The machine has two, six po-sition linear tool changers asstandard and accepts any kind of

drilling, countersinking, milling or tapping tool. Another FICEP unit which isequipped with the new ScribingSystem is the TIPO B161. Thismachine is an automatic line forpunching, high speed drilling andmilling of large and high thicknessplates.

The TIPO is said to perform awide range of functions includingmilling and scribing, using bothoxy-cutting and plasma cuttingsystems.

New labour saving system

The Doug Ellis Stand, Aston Villa FC, one of REIDsteel’s projects

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HEAD OFFICE

Holmesfield Road • Warrington • Cheshire • UK • WA1 2DSt: +44 (0)1925 655116 f: +44 (0)1925 655419www.warringtonfire.net

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The dramatic success of steel in the constructionmarket over the past twenty years has been inlarge part due to the remarkable productivityimprovements made by steelwork contractors. Theever improving ability to respond to customer’sdemands for quality, short lead times with justin time delivery and work carried out off site tothe most exacting tolerances – matched by anequally high performance on site – looks like beinga feature of the success story for the next twentyyears as well. Barrett Steel Buildings aims to be at the forefrontof productivity and quality improvements to come,

with a new state of theart production facilitybeing opened this monthin Bradford. The new

workshop extension mightnot be the largest in theindustry, but Barrett plansthat a unique, bespoke

layout and use of the latest steel processingmachines will place them at the leading edge ofproductivity and quality advances. The workshop, adjacent to a new purpose built

company headquarters, positions Barrett stronglyto continue with ambitious growth plans whichhave seen turnover grow from £13.5M in 2003 to£26.4M in 2005. The target of £30M for 2006 shouldbe easily reached. The development representsa £4M investment, including over £1.3M on newmachines alone. “We spent six months studying the market todetermine exactly what the implications of thevarious machinery available were,” explainsManaging Director Richard Barrett. “It was acomplicated, iterative process. We visited theUnited States and suppliers in Europe to see

machines inoperation.

“We wanteda supplier who

would be ourpartner for thenext ten years orso. All options

were considered before we settled on machinesfrom FICEP. Once we decided what the idealconguration would be we designed and built theextension around the machines, rather than try to t

Prole

Barrett Steel Buildings has created a state of the art facility that fully integrates design andfabrication. Nick Barrett reports on what a modern fabrication operation can now achieve.

Barrett plans that a unique bespokelayout and use of the latest steel

processing machines will place themat the leading edge of productivityand quality advances.

The new Barrett SteelBuildings headquarters

Showcase for fully integrateddesign and fabrication

“Once we decided whatthe ideal conguration

would be we designedand built the extensionaround the machines…”

Continues on p14

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Prole

Four new machines have been supplied to Barrett byFICEP, two Orient 11 – 1101DZB CNC Drilling & SawingLines, an Orient 11 – 1102 DZT T CNC Plasma Copingmachine combine with Drilling System and a Schlick RB1500 Au tomatic Roller Conveyor Shot Blast System.

“This is st ate of the art machinery which representssignicant advances on what was available previously,”says Ficep Managing Director Mark Jones. “BarrettSteel Buildings has made a signicant investment in this new facilit y and have agreed that we can use it as ashowcase for what is now possible.”

The Orient 11 is described as an advanced, highperformance monospindle drilling machine, equippedwith a CNC controlled rotating head that can drill beamsand proles on three sides (anges and web). TheOrient 11 is said to be as productive as a more expensive three-headed machine on certain applications , but ismuch more efcient when frequent changes of proleare called for. The presence of only one spindle doesnot affect line productivity but dramatically reducesauxiliary and set-up times, especially when processing

beams of different sizes in sequence. In this case nocomplex set-up operation is required, the operatorsimply enters the new dimensions on the user-friendly“ARIANNA” CNC console. The rotating head is mounted on the vertical slide and

can be orientated in three working posit ions (vertical

and horizontal on the left and right) and rotates at2,500rpm. I t is equipped as standard with a six positionlinear tool changer designed to accept any kind ofdrilling, milling or tapping tool with ISO 4 5 connections,and capable of drilling holes up to 40mm diameter. Acoolant system is incorporated whereby the choice oflubricant occurs automatically depending on the toolingused.

The workpiece is clamped by a series of CNCcontrolled rollers designed to allow ef cient controlledmovement of the beam through both the horizontal andvertical jaws. At rst a stronger force is applied initiallyfor the Y axis, but instead of having to open the jaws toadjust and position the X axis, the pressure is simplyreduced slightly by the CNC, allowing the bar to move to the new posit ion where a stronger clamping action isapplied, permitting drilling to commence. This offers asignicant increase in production output.

Thanks to Field Bus operating protocols, all theelectronics and CNC controls are built into the Orient11, dispensing with the need for separate large controlcabinets and external electronic connections. “Thisincreases reliability and reduces the overall footprint of the machine,” says Mr Jones. The CNC controls operatefrom a single motherboard that reduces costs andallows only that that part of t he software that needs tobe activated, increasing the machine’s performance and

user friendliness. “The exibility of the Orient 11 makes it the mostversatile in our range of drilling lines,” adds Mr Jones.It is the rst machine in the range to offer a completemarking system that scribes assembly information orcharacters onto the beam using the effective spindleand patented technology to mark all facets of the prole.With the option of a second smaller spindle the beam canbe marked underneath. The restrictions of marking ononly one side of a beam are eliminated.

The scribing information can make lines, weldsymbols, logo’s and measurements removing timeconsuming and laborious marking out phases from thefabrication process in the workshop. Having no need toproduce drawings for fabricators, this process allowsfaster productivity and less need for reliance on skilledpersonnel to do the setting out.

A Schlick Roto-Jet, a 1,5 00 mm wide shot blast line,complements the three FICEP machines. Mr Jones says:“FICEP are exclusive agents for Schlick machines, and this model was chosen by Barrett as it of fers out standingperformance with the new ‘ETA’ turbine wheels whichoffers increased blasting speed to efciently clean thematerial before processing through the new purposebuilt production facility, while at the same time reducingoverall costs of maintenance.”

SCHLICK roto-jet® roller conveyor shot blast

machines are easy to use and provided the resultsrequired by Barrett. Plates, sheets , beams, sections,pipes, and tubes can all be descaled and cleaned simplyby loading the pieces, pressing the start button, andunloading the nished product after a short cycle time.

State of the art

Above: The Orient 11 withthe Schlick RB 1500 in thebackground

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the machines into a pre existing shed.” The new machines are described by Barrettand FICEP as state of the art. Mr Barrett said:’ Themachines will allow us to reduce overall productioncosts and increase output, but most importantly

we will be able to offercustomers a better service.” The machines being

replaced were from the1980’s and 1990’s. The newmachines will have a drillspeed eight times faster than

the old ones, and the overall operation will be fourtimes faster than before. Mr Barrett is particularly impressed by the newcoping machine which has a plasma cutting headwith a robot arm. “It is the most intricate machine

here and there are only one or two more in thecountry like it,” he says.

The big differentiator between the competingsystems in the marketplace, Mr Barrett says, is theirIT sophistication. “This equipment is completely

integrated with our IT. We use a Tekla CAD packagelinked to Fabtrol production control softwarethat means we can route any job to the optimalmachine.

“We have bought new software from Tekla andFabtrol as well as FICEP. FICEP appreciated that weare IT competent so we developed the softwarewith them. We have modied Tekla software todownload design information from our own designofce. There will be less human error in the marking

process as themachine will do it allnow.” The new line willhave three men for themain preparation bayto carry out blasting,sawing, drilling and

coping operations, releasing operatives to work inthe assembly area. “There will be a 24% efciencyincrease,’ says Mr Barrett. Operatives are being trained by FICEP in Italy,and FICEP also provides a two-year service packagewith the purchase. “FICEP view the set up here as ashowcase for their machines so we will be allowingpeople to come and have a look for themselves.” Productivity and quality are not the only drivers.

There has been a lot of safety related input to thedesign as well: the new warehouse is racked tothe most modern standards; light beams can shutmachines down if interrupted in improper ways;bridges have been supplied over conveyors to allowsafe passage from one side of the process line toanother. The new headquarters building houses multidisciplinary teams on two oors, with the singlestorey design team on the ground appropriately

enough, and the multistorey team upstairs.“We have a high levelof design competencewhich means we canoffer a design andbuild service for sheds

and medium rise multi storey buildings,” says MrBarrett. “We can switch production between 100%sheds and 100% multi storey, and everything inbetween, so whatever the market wants we will beable to supply. Our 100% commitment to designand build and emphasis on design for manufacture,will enable us to maximise the benets of our newinvestment”. Growth areas include residential: “We did sevenresidential buildings in Birmingham alone last year.

Other recent projects have included a ten-storeybuilding. Healthcare and schools are also providingsteady demand.

Other planned investments for 2006 includespeedlines for the production area and furtherimprovements in painting and dispatch.

Prole

The Orient 11 1101DZB withthe Orient 11 1102 DZTT inthe background

“…whatever themarket wants we

will be able tosupply.”

Close up view of theOrient 11, 1101 DZB

“This equipmentis completelyintegrated toour IT.”

“There will be lesshuman error in the

marking process asthe machine will doit all now.”

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FICEP UK Ltd.,10 The Courtyards,Victoria Park,Victoria Road, Leeds LS14 2LB.Sales Tel: +44 (0)113 265 3921 Fax:+44 (0)113 265 3913. E-mail:info@ficep.co.uk www.ficep.co.uk

FICEP have over 100 machines for the processing of steel whichcan be used as stand-alone machines or integrated into a fullyautomated, high speed production line using state-of-the-artCAM software.These CNC machines now incorporate FICEP’sunique patented, automated scribing system, a feature which

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Residential

FACT FILE Birmingham 1 Main client:Opal Property Group Ltd Architect:LOC Associates

Structural engineer: Tier Consult Ltd Main contractor: Ocon Construction Ltd Steelwork contractor:Henry Smith (Construc- tional Engineers) Ltd Steel tonnage: 1,320t

Above: The last pieceof the second layer ofCorefast modules is putinto place.

Above right: Birmingham1 – fronted by an 18 storeyglass and zinc clad tower.

Developed by Corus, Corefast combines Bi-Steelpanels to form lightweight modules which are as-sembled on site and when erected form a building’score up to six times faster than concrete.

This new and revolutionary method of core con-struction is currently being utilised on the Birming-ham 1 project, the tallest building, so far, to makeuse of Corefast in the UK. The new development is being constructed byOcon Construction and the focal point is an 18 sto-rey glass and zinc clad tower. The entire project con-sists of four blocks, including the tower and 1,320tof steel will be used. It is the core of the main towerwhich is being constructed with Corefast.

Located on a busy intersection of the A38 BristolRoad – the main route into Birmingham – the de-velopment will provide halls of residence for 604students, as well as a luxury leisure suite and aninternet cafe.

Construction began on site in January and isscheduled for completion in August 2007, just intime for the new university term. Using Corefastto create the central core of the tower was recom-mended by Henry Smith, the steelwork contractor,as the steel system uses Corus’ Bi-Steel panels and

allows for very rapidcore construction.Ocon Constructionestimates that us-ing this system willsave approximately

ve weeks on an 86 week construction programme.Construction Director for Ocon Construction’s Mid-lands Division Steve Dando says: “Although we area fairly new company, we were not afraid to take onthis innovative way of constructing building cores.”

Each Bi-Steel panel is made up of two steel platesspaced 200mm apart, these are connected by a se-ries of welded steel bars spaced at 300mm centres.Interestingly, Bi-Steel was originally designed andused for industries such as defence, due to being‘blast proof’.

Corefast was developed using these panels toprovide an extremely strong and durable structural

core that is quick to erect and allows buildings tobe constructed as complete steel structures. Inaddition, the walls of the core can be reduced inthickness to approximately 60 per cent of a concretecore of equivalent strength. Each module is entirelypre-fabricated before being transported to site,

Work is underway on the tallest building inthe UK to make use of Corefast – a new andfaster method of constructing cores withsteel. Victoria Gough reports.

Fast

steelcores

Bi-steel was originallydesigned for thedefence industry, dueto being ‘blast-proof’

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including pre-drilled and with nuts already in placeto ensure quick and efcient assembly.

The rst phase of constructing the core on siteinvolved the erection of ten, 15m high, modules thatcreated the rst four oors. Each piece, weighingapproximately 8t, was delivered to site and then up-ended, lifted into position and lowered onto starterbars from the foundation. As each module is putinto place, it is bolted onto the previous module andready for the next. Pre-fabricated stairs are lifted intothe core along with other appropriate internal workbeing carried out during the erection process. Con-struction of the core for the rst four storeys of thetower was completed in just ve days.

Business Development Manager for Construc-tional and Industrial at Corus Bi-Steel Robert Fisher

comments: “Erecting the Corefast modules is justlike putting together pieces of Meccano. It is a sim-ple at pack that is delivered to site and then piecedtogether.”

Once the lower oors of the core were in place, thesurrounding steelwork began, simply bolted onto thepanels of the core. Before being lifted into place, allof the handrails and safety barriers are attached onthe ground to ensure health and safety risks are keptto a minimum. The modules of the core also provid-ed an “in built” edge protection and safety barrier. Having completed the initial core erection, theBi-Steel panels are lled with concrete to allow thecore to reach its full strength. After completion ofthe lower oors the next ten Corefast modules, eachweighing 4-5t, are lifted into place and bolted to the

Below: The prefabricatedpanels are simply boltedtogether on site

Strip above: The rst Core- fast modules are loweredonto the foundation.

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ShotblastingProfile & Drill

website: www.kaltenbach.co.uk/news

“It is a simpleatpack that isdelivered to siteand then pieced

together.”

A slender tower design was chosen because it has less environmental impact

Using Corefast allows the structure to be constructed as acomplete steel frame.

previous modules below, extending the buildingtwo storeys at a time. The steel core is being erect-ed in conjunction with the main frame steelworkwhich is progressing at a rate of approximately oneoor per week.

A total of 1,706m 2 of Bi-Steel panels will be usedfor Birmingham 1, to complete the core, which hadto be carefully designed to splay at the correct an-gles to accommodate the architectural curve of thetower. Gerard Kitching, Managing Director of HenrySmith says: “Using Corefast maximises off sitemanufacture. It cuts down on site construction timeand more importantly it reduces health and safetyrisks involved with this sort of project, such as work-ing at height.”

Residential

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The larger Plot 3 willincorporate a glasscovered atrium.

Commercial

Standing on Tower Bridge and looking upstreamat London’s South Bank you can’t fail to notice thevast More London development. Incorporating theGreater London Authority’s eye-catching City Hall,the entire 13-acre site is now widely regarded as one

of the capital’s best business locations. Masterplanned by Foster and Partners, MoreLondon has planning consent for more than280,000m 2 of business space which will include upto 186,000m 2 of Grade A ofces accommodatingnearly 20,000 workers. As well as the Mayor of London, a numberof high-prole rms have also moved theirheadquarters to the site, with more to follow as twonew ofce blocks are nearing completion. For example, international law rms Norton Roseand Lawrence Graham have committed to 3 and 4More London Riverside respectively, as the locationsfor their new international headquarters. These twobuildings - with a combined oor space of morethan 50,000m 2 - will along with a couple of otherstructures, including a new Hilton Hotel, completethe entire development. Initially known as Plots 3 and 4, both buildingsare 10-storey steel framed structures from the lowerground level up, with 3 the largest with a footprintof 90m x 50m, while 4 is a slender ofce blockmeasuring 81m-long x 18m wide. Andrew Barrow, Mace’s Project Manager for thetwo plots explains the site is quite conned, as it isbordered by the River Thames to the north, Tooleystreet to the south, and existing buildings to the east

and west.“Piling and foundation work got underway in early

More forMore LondonTwo steel framed structures are the latest buildings tobe added to the burgeoning More London development.Martin Cooper reports.

A l l p h o t o s ©K S P h o t o g r a p h y

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2005. Prior to steel construction we had to constructa haul road around Plot 4, to gain access to thelarger Plot 3.” Six concrete cores, three for each building,were formed by Laing O’Rourke, before any

steelwork commenced. However, when steelworkdid begin, Plot 3 was rst off the mark. Both plots

were completed byChristmas 2005, asthe smaller Plot 4 hadcaught up by this time.

“It was important toget the steel structuresdone before theChristmas holidays,”

Mr Barrow explains. “That gave the concrete rooftime to cure before roof t-out began in January.” Steelwork contractor Severeld-Reeve erectedboth building’s frames in a two-oor sequence.Erecting columns to give a clear two-oor gap (8m)ahead of decking contractor Richard Lees, whichfollowed behind. Dave Lee, Severeld-Reeve Project Managersays the majority of steel supplied to the projectconsisted of Fabsec beams, primarily 650mm deep x140mm wide. “We delivered all steel to project in 20t loads,” MrLee says. “And bolted everything together on site.”Mike King, Project Manager for structural engineersArup says the experience of using Fabsec beamson other related More London plots meant it wasan easy decision to use them on Plots 3 & 4. “The

decision was made very early in the design stage,”he says.

“Fabsec beams offer a more efcient system foroor build-up as they have ducts to carry services,”Mr King adds. “Otherwise the build-up would begreater as the services would have to run beneaththe beams.”

“Fabsec beams also have optimal re protectionproperties,” Mr King sums up. Mr Barrow backs

this up and addsthat anotherimportant factorin favour of theFabsec beamsis that they

were coated with intumescent paint prior to beingdelivered to site and this meant less work to do onthe project.

“One less trade on site is very important,especially on a worksite with limited space,” MrBarrow explains.

In total the project required Severeld to supply2,850t of steel for Plot 3, of which 1,775t was madeup of Fabsec beams, and a further 1,540t for Plot 4(936t Fabsec). Plot 3 is basically a U-shaped structure, with theopen end facing the river front and containing aglass covered atrium. Severeld installed an array ofsteel columns and beams, but an interesting featureof this building is the glass roof covering the atrium.

Severeld installed two large cantilever boxgirders, each weighing 15t, to support this glasscanopy. A further four 20m-long beams support

the canopy over a ninth oor balcony. Claddingcontractor for Plot 3, Permasteelalissa, supplied and

Commercial

FACT FILE 3 & 4 More LondonRiverside, Southwark Main client: MoreLondon Developments Architect: Foster & Partners Structural engineer: Arup Construction manager:Mace Steelwork contractor:Severeld-ReeveStructures Ltd Project Value: £95m Steel tonnage: 4,400t

“Fabsec beams offer amore efcient systemfor oor build up asthey have ducts tocarry services.”

“One less trade onsite is very important,especially on a worksitewith limited space.”

The corner steel ns are aneye-catching architecturalfeature of Plot 4.

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Commercial

erected the architectural steelwork for the balconyitself. Meanwhile, traversing the atrium are threebridges situated on the third, fth and seventhoors. Each of these steel bridges were initially

constructed by installing two 18m-long beams,situated 2.5m apart and then bolting in theintermediate cross beams. Plot 4 is a narrow structure compared to itsneighbour, but did present the contractors withan interesting architectural design feature. Thisbuilding has a oor grid plan of 9m x 6m and wasconstructed with Fabsec beams and 356mm x406mm columns.

On each of the four corners of every oor thereis a protruding steel n. This architectural feature ismade with a 1.5t 8m-long cantilever steel plate boxgirder member jutting out from the structure’s mainperimeter beam. A further 12 of these ns havebeen installed on the roof to support a canopy.

As Mr Barrow says, the feature ns will give Plot4 a distinctive look, but getting the cladding to twas a little problematical. Cladding contractor onthis part of the project is Schmidlin, and they’vesupplied glass units that when bolted into position,will completely surround the ns.

Mr Barrow explains that steelwork aroundthe central core was started rst as there’s a lotsurrounding the risers and lifts. “This progressedin a similar sequence to Plot 3, but with the corealways ahead of the rest of the steelwork, and thisin turn always two oors ahead of the decking

installation. Steel erection on both building’s frames wentto plan, Mr Barrow says. But one aspect which didspeed up the construction process was the use ofsteel staircases throughout the project. Supplied byMarshalls and installed by Severeld, Mr Barrowsays prefabricated steel staircases are erectedquickly and used immediately.

Shell and core completion will occur this Summer,with occupation scheduled for Spring 2007 followingthe tenants t out of the building. Once constructionwork has nished the haul road will be dug up andlandscaped to form a centre piece garden.

Interestingly, this will contribute to More London’svariety of public spaces, which have opened up apreviously derelict area of the South Bank.

Below: Protruding ns on Plot 4.Right: Fabsec beams were used throughout.

Three steel bridges traverse Plot 3’s atrium. Metal decking was used on both plots

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Formerly known as the Millennium Dome, London’s giant big top is set to be reborn as a US-style entertainmentcentre with a 23,000 seat arena, bars, restaurants and exhibition and theatre spaces. Martin Cooper reports.

The structure previously known as the MillenniumDome is nding a new lease of life as The O 2 , amajor entertainment and leisure complex takingshape at Greenwich, London.

This will be a new American-style entertainmentcomplex, born from a collaboration between USbased developer Anschutz Entertainment Group(AEG) and corporate sponsors O 2. The Dome as weknew it will be no more, and the entire site has nowofcially been dubbed The O 2.

Central to the whole redevelopment of the domeis the 23,000 seat enclosed arena which is beingcreated inside the original dome structure, set toopen in early 2007 to host both sporting and musicevents.

Constructing an arena inside an existing structureis certainly unusualand the design threwup a number of uniquechallenges. Not leastbeing the 2,500t steelroof (which weighs4,000t when fully clad)

for the arena, which has only 4m clearance below

the dome’s fabric roof.Using tower cranes within the dome to erect

the roof was out of the question, says Ken Jones,Associate Director at structural engineers BuroHappold. “There just isn’t the room.”

So the roof was initially assembled on trestles

on the dome’s oor and then jacked into position.Putting a roof on the arena also means it is ‘futureproofed’ and could stand-alone if the enclosingdome structure was ever dismantled.

Mr Jones says the design and construction ofthe arena’s roof has driven the early stages of theproject.

Watson Steel fabricated the roof’s steelwork at itsBolton facility and transported sections to the site inpieces no larger than 3.5m wide or 22m long.

Paul Hulme, Watson’s Project Manager, saysapproximately 600t of steelwork that has been usedfor the arena roof was made up of two primarytrusses, each of tubular construction and 130mlong, which were brought to site in sections andwelded together on the ground.

Spanning the void between the primary trussesare 16 central trusses with spans ranging from30m to 60m. Each of these members has a depth ofmore than 5m. Radiating from the primary trussesare four secondary trusses which are 5m deep andnearly 40m long.

And nally, stretching around the entire roofthere is a perimeter truss, again made up of tubular

sections.As Mr Jones explains, this is no ordinary roof, as

the spherically-shaped structure is 11m deep at itsapex and very deep trusses were required becauseof its 150m maximum span.

This roof space is needed for a vast array of

A roof within a roof

The 2,500t steelroof has only 4mclearance below thedome’s fabric roof

A l l i m

a g e s ©A E G E u r o p e

The enclosed arena is thedevelopment’s centrepiece

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equipment. Up to 50t of equipment can be hungfrom the roof such as lighting and sound equipmentand a huge scoreboard - dubbed the Gondola - that

will be loweredfor sportingevents. There

are also largeducts for theenvironmentalcontrol of thearena andacoustic cladding.

Eight concretebearing cores,housingeverything

from stairs, lifts, air ventilation shafts and risers,were, however, the rst part of the arena to beconstructed. The steel roof was then constructedaround these cores at ground level.

The two primary trusses were then laid out and allother trusses were bolted around these, includingthe secondary and perimeter trusses.

Four opposite cores were designed andconstructed with inlaid grooves to accept theprimary trusses. These grooves, as Mr Jonesexplains, were then used to facilitate the naljacking process.

“We also designed four quadrapods to sit on eachof these cores. These supported the main trussesduring the jacking process and were then twistedand lowered down once the trusses were resting onthe cores.”

During the early part of March, the entire roof wasjacked into an intermediate position approximately11m above its previously supporting trestles.

Then, at the end of March, the nal process ofraising the arena’s roof took place over two nightshifts. Computer controlled strand jacks installed in

the roof inched the structure up cables, attached tothe tops of the eight cores.

“Once the roof was in position we then in-lledthe missing elements of cladding over the tops ofthe cores,” Mr Jones explains. “And once the roofwas raised, a clear space was opened up and work

could then begin on the rest of the arena.”Steel construction will also play a pivotal role in

the erection of other elements within the complex.The majority of the arena’s frame will be steel, whilethe mezzanine oor has also been designed as asteel framed structure. Watson Steel is supplyingapproximately 1,200t of steel for this part of theproject, including cigar-shaped rakers with a tapereddepth of 550mm to 900mm and back to 550mm.These will support the upper tier seating, while avariety of UBs will be used on the lower tier.

Another large steel framed structure, situatedadjacent to arena, sits on top of a large and alreadycomplete service yard and will require Watson Steelto supply 2,200t of steelwork. This building willbe constructed with 14 x 3m deep primary trussesformed into an arched conguration.

“Once the frame of the casino has been builtthe 50m span steel roof will be bolted togetherwhile resting on the frame. It will then be lifted intoposition by two cranes and bolted to another sectionof roof attached to the arena building,” Mr Jonessays.

Leisure

FACT FILE The O 2 , London (formerlythe Millennium Dome) Main client: AEG Europe Architect: HOK Sport Structural engineer:

Buro Happold Main contractor:Sir Robert McAlpine Steelwork contractor:Watson Steel Structures

The 23,000 seat arena (below left) is the overall centrepiece of the redevelopment. However, there is vast space to ll inside the dome and other developments include a large casino,depending on Government legislation. Main contractor, SirRobert McAlpine also has a contract to build a 32,500m 2

entertainment zone, known as the waterfront development.This will include a 2,200 capacity music club, 6,000 seatexhibition centre housed in a glass-framed bubble (below)and an 11-screen cinema. The area will have an array ofrestaurants, bars and other leisure facilities (left).

What’s in O 2

Up to 50t of equipmentcan be hung from theroof such as lightingand sound equipmentand a huge scoreboard,dubbed the Gondola,that will be lowered forsporting events.

Once the arena’s roof was jacked up work began on

the stadium’s seating

The waterfront takes shape

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Intumescent re protection technology continuesto develop at a pace where new products offeringgreater performance with lower thicknesses emergeinto the market with frequent regularity. Thiscontinuing trend of ‘using less to do more’ oftenraises questions amongst designers and speciersas well as regulators and enforcers about thereliability of the products and their performance.These products, which must be described as ‘hightechnology’ by comparison with most other formsof re protection, tend to be value engineered forperformance which places additional demandsupon those who are responsible for their evaluationand their application. Against this background, and other challengesfaced by the industry, not least the implicationsof new requirements from Europe, the variousmanufacturers and suppliers of thin lm

intumescent coatings have been meeting regularlywith the support of warringtonre and BRE Fireand Security, to address the challenges. Meetingshave been taking place over a period of two yearsinvolving the most senior executives of the variouscompanies and as a consequence of the regularvenue (Stratford upon Avon) the activity was initiallychristened ‘The Stratford Initiative’. Recently, ‘TheStratford Initiative’ has been adopted jointly by theAssociation of Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) andthe British Coatings Federation (BCF) and has beengiven the title of The Intumescent Coatings Forum,the membership of which is given in Table 1. Within the next two to three years, intumescentre protection together with all other formsof structural re protection will have to be CE

marked underthe ConstructionProducts Directiveif they are to beplaced upon theEuropean market.While CE marking isnot mandatory within

the UK, many manufacturers of intumescent reprotection work at a European, if not worldwidelevel. CE marking as proof of conformity,

involving third party certication of the product,is viewed by the industry as the most effectiveway to demonstrate performance and reliability.This does bring with it, however, the need forproduct performance evaluation utilising newharmonised European test standards that are more

Debbie Smith of BRE Fire and Securityand Geoff Deakin of warringtonre

report on tests on 15 water basedintumescent re protection productsavailable on the UK market.

Reliability of

IntumescentFire ProtectionProducts

Fire Engineering

Within the next twoto three years, allforms of structuralre protection willhave to be CE marked

In this demonstration, the intumescent material foams under a blowtorch, but thesubstrate underneath the coating remains cool enough to be held.

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severe than those currently used in the UK. Inline with other sections of the UK re protectionindustry, the intumescent manufacturers/suppliershave conceded to ODPM that they accept thatthere should be no compensatory reductionin performance levels given in the regulatoryguidance in Approved Document B (to the BuildingRegulations – England and Wales) to maintainthe status quo. They accept that, in the future,to align with Europe, they will need to enhanceproduct performance or increase the requiredproduct thicknesses, to satisfy similar re resistancerequirements.

Another matter of importance to themanufacturers/suppliers is the potential forundermining their product’s performance byapplication by contractors who do not have anunderstanding of the special requirements of the

product and do notpossess the skills toensure that it is appliedin the correct manner.As a consequence,the product may haveinadequate adhesion(due to poor applicationor incompatibility of theprimer or existing paint

protection) or may not be applied to the correctthickness, within tolerances and with adequatecontrols over accuracy. To circumvent this danger,the industry has therefore agreed to collectivelyaddress this issue and has committed itself toensure high standards of reliability for the installedproduct. As a consequence of the Stratford discussions,the Intumescent Coatings Forum has set itself avision for the future as follows:

To advance this, the Forumhas taken a number of specicactions to ensure that standardsof quality and reliability ofintumescent products aremaintained at the highest level.These include the following:

i) A position paper has beenagreed relating to the retesting and assessmentof intumescent steelprotection. Currently, thereis no British Standard testand assessment methodfor this purpose and the‘standard’ for the industryhas been set by the

‘Yellow Book’, the ASFPpublication “Fire protectionfor structural steel inbuildings” (http://asfp.associationhouse.org.uk/ default.php?cmd=210&doc_category=27). However,the process described in the Yellow Book hasbeen conservative in terms of the evaluationof performance of intumescent steel protectionand relates to a time when there were fewerproducts in the market at more signicantthicknesses and when the testing andassessment process was basically carriedout only by the two laboratories workingtogether to ensure consistency of practices.The situation today is very different with manymore products, tested in different ways andassessed by others than the test laboratories.The predictive capability has improvedthrough more rened but competitive anddifferent mathematical or physical models.To standardise the situation, the industry hasdeveloped and agreed to voluntarily adopt anew protocol as a basis for formulating claimsin the market. By agreement to this protocol,the manufacturers/suppliers are setting the

requirements that will impose new rigors andprocedures on the laboratories and othersinvolved in the process.

The industry protocol will be the basis offuture recommendations in the Yellow Booksince ASFP has agreed to amend it to follow the

Left: two examples ofthe aesthetic qualities ofintumescent coated steelwork.

Below: Table 1 – Participantsin the ASFP/BCF IntumescentCoatings Forum

Fire Engineering

Ameron International BV J W Bollom & Co Ltd Cafco International

Coatmaster Ltd

Dupont Performance Coatings GmbH Environmental Seals Ltd Firetherm Ltd International Paint Ltd Italvis Protect Srl Jotun Paints (Europe) Ltd Leighs Paints Nullire Ltd Promat UK Ltd Protega Coatings Ltd (formally Tikkurila) Quelre

Rutgers Organics GmbH E Wood Ltd Yung Chi Ltd ASFP BCF BRE warringtonre

VISION FOR THE INDUSTRY ASFP/BCF Intumescent Coatings Forum

To ensure that by 2010 all intumescentcoatings for re protection of steelwork are

√ Tested and assessed products conformingto European standards and certied by anindependent third party

√ Installed by certied third party applicators√ Are subject to independent inspection of

completed works, as appropriate

The industry hascommitted itselfto ensure highstandards ofreliability for theinstalled product.

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protocol. It will also reect the new Europeanrequirements for European Technical Approvalsand CE marking of products. The industryagreed Code of Practice is to be publishedjointly by ASFP and the BCF.

ii) The industry has agreed the methodology to beused for determining and presenting volumesolids data. This will be a routine measurementmade by the re test laboratories at the timeof test and will be presented in the test report.Volume solids will be presented in data sheetsby manufacturers in a consistent manner. Thiseliminates any potential variations or confusion

associated with the translation of the dry lmthicknesses required for a given contract, toquantities of paint in liquid form.

iii) The most signicant initiative ex Stratford,

however, has been an agreement withwarringtonre and BRE Fire and Security toundertake independent market sampled producttesting of water-based intumescent products.

warringtonre sampled a total of 15 differentwater-based intumescent products, available onthe UK market, directly from the market. Thesewere each applied to a common dimensionedshort beam at a thickness specied by themanufacturer to be appropriate for providing

the beam with60 minutes reprotection. Thiswas given asthe time for thebeam to reachthe speciedtemperatureused as thebasis for theassessmentof the product

(typically 620°C). The manufacturers were ableto make or witness the application process toensure that it was to their satisfaction but thewhole process was under the control of thelaboratories. The results of this testing provided

a ‘snapshot’ of the state of the industry. Theachieved level of performance was comparedwith the manufacturer’s claim in relation toboth the assessment and data sheets that are

Intumescent swellingduring a test

Fire Engineering

The most signicantinitiative has been anagreement to under- take independent mar- ket sampled producttesting of water-basedintumescent products.

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Fire Engineering

supplied to the market place. It needs to beappreciated that such a single test result doesnot provide a reliable indicator of a productsoverall performance across its range ofthicknesses and steel section factors. Biases

are possible from one end of the range tothe other. Therefore, where the result fromthe single beamsuggested adeciency inproviding lessthan 90% ofthe claimedperformance(this value wasagreed to allowfor variabilityassociatedwith testing), amore detailed test evaluation was completedinvolving reviewing the product performanceacross the range of steel section factors.

After completion of the agreed testprogramme and some further supplementarytesting only one product at one level of SectionFactor (HpA) gave results less than 90% of theclaimed performance, but still gave a meanperformance in excess of 100%. A modicationof the assessment table has been agreed withthe manufacturer of this product.

iv) The results of the exercise in iii) above has

led to another initiative by the industry. Allmanufacturers/suppliers have voluntarilyagreed that all the assessments used insupport of their water-based and solvent-based

products should be reviewed by warringtonreand BRE Fire and Security against an agreedset of ‘acceptability criteria’. This will ensurethat all current product assessments providethe same level of condence in the productperformance based upon the available testdata.

‘The ASFP/BCF Intumescent Coatings Forum’continues to make steps towards its vision forthe industry in 2010. New initiatives to addressbetter support for the installers of products and tovalidate applied thicknesses are planned. The rst

signicant milestone, however, is the commitmentto embrace the European requirements and workonly with product performance claims to the newEuropean standards by mid-2008.

Intumescent coatingafter expansion

The ASFP/BCFIntumescentCoatings Forumcontinues to makesteps towardsits vision for theindustry in 2010.

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Technical

Over recent months structural engineers may havenoticed advertisements for modest span portal

frame structures,typically in local pressand on the internet.Sold as a completebuilding and formedfrom cold-formedlightweight members,the style of structureis often a single spanportal frame, or aso-called ‘AmericanBarn’ having two

monopitch side spans meeting the columns of acentral portal span (Figure 1).

This form of structure constructed of cold-rolledmembers is very common in Australia, where suchstructures are often sold in this way, directly to theend client. This article sets out some of the technical

issues that must be considered when transferringthe technology to the UK. The comparison is withAustralian practice, as this appears as the source ofmany of the companies now active in the UK.

UK RegulationsAlthough Building Regulations in the UK simplydemand a safe structure (and thus permit design to

any design Standard),common practiceis to determineloading andstructural resistanceby reference to theappropriate BritishStandards. Thus itis important thatany design needsto be proven byreference to theBritish Standards– which may bedifcult if membersizes and details aresimply importedinto the UK withoutfurther consideration.

Common practiceis to demonstrateadequacy bycalculation ratherthan by test, whichmeans that buildings

that actually have the same structural resistancemay well have different calculated resistancesaccording to different codes. Unless physicaltests are undertaken, demonstrating adequacy bycalculation is the only option.

Loads and Load combinationsWe Brits are familiar with imposed roof loads as aminimum or 0.6kN/m 2. It appears that Australianimposed loads may be as low as 0.25kN/m 2 which isa hugely signicant reduction. We are also familiarwith the load combinations shown in Table 1, andcontrasted with those found in Australian designs. Assuming a dead load of 0.2kN/m 2 typical ULSgravity loads are as follows:

UK: 1.4 × 0.2 + 1.6 × 0.6 = 1.24kN/m 2

Australia: 1.25 × 0.2 + 1.5 × 0.25 = 0.63kN/m 2

This is obviously a very signicant difference,

especially as in the UK it is common that the gravityloadcase is critical for strength. Designers should also carefully consider serviceloading, and allow for this if necessary. A typicalservice load would increase the ULS gravity loadsby 17%. No extensive comparison of the wind loading inUK and Australia has been undertaken. However,UK designers will be familiar with the often onerouseffect of positive (downward) coefcients onrafters as described in BS 6399-2. These positivecoefcients appear absent in the AustralianStandard, which is a further signicant difference.

Material strengthDesigners and checkers should be careful aboutthe yield strength of the cold formed membersassumed in design. Yield strengths of 450 N/mm 2 are common in Australia; in the UK, 350 N/mm 2 is typical, which represents a 22% reduction instrength.

Connections and RestraintsAt eaves and apex connections, joints are oftenmade using bolts and at plate as shown in

Figure 2, or plate withpressed indentations

for increased strengthand stiffness. There hasbeen much researchand testing of suchconnections and thesemay obviously be used

Cold-rolled portal frames

Figure 1. ‘American Barn’ structure

Table 1 Comparison of UK and Australian combination loadfactors

Dead Imposed Wind

1.4 1.6

1.2 1.2 1.2

1.0 1.4

1.25 1.51.25 1.0

0.8 1.0

David Brown, Deputy Director of the Steel Construction Institute, provides timelyadvice on what engineers should watch for when working with any of the portalframe structures being introduced to the UK market from Australia.

Common practiceis to determineloading and

structuralresistance byreference to theappropriate BritishStandards

Designers andcheckers shouldbe reassured thatthe details areappropriate

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with condence in the appropriatecircumstances. Clearly, designers

and checkers should be reassuredthat the details are appropriate,and have not simply been detailedto look similar. Connectionsformed from bolts and thin plateare likely to be semi-rigid, and inthe absence of other information,this exibility should normally beaccounted for in design. It may bethat tests have demonstrated thatparticular approaches to design,combined with particular details,produce entirely satisfactorystructures. If this evidence is notavailable, caution is advised. Australian practice forconnection plate strength isalso signicantly different fromcommon UK design. Typically,connection plates in Australiandesigns may be 480 N/mm 2,considerably higher than commonUK practice. Detailing is always critical – torealise the assumptions made indesign. Designers and checkers

should pay particular attention to the inside of the

haunch connection, as shown in Figure 2, which willhave an enthusiasm to buckle out of plane. If thereis no restraint, and no test data to demonstrateadequate performance, how is buckling prevented?

Bracing, side rails and purlinsBracing is commonly narrow, thin gauge materialthat is commonly delivered in a roll and is oftenxed between the side rails and the cladding. ToUK design Standards, such bracing may be difcultto prove as adequate. In reality, the cladding androof sheeting is probably providing the resistanceto shear and longitudinal forces. If no test evidence

is available, it may bepossible to demonstrateadequate resistance byutilising stressed skinaction, and designingin accordance with BS5950-9.

In Australianpractice, purlins andside rails are often so-called ‘top-hat’ sections,as shown in Figure3. These proles arenot common