ABSTRUCT provided structural and civil engineering design for the renovation and extension of two adjacent sites which were combined to form a new teaching and student accommodation space for the college.

The existing buildings consisted of a range of structures, including traditional loadbearing masonry, steelwork and timber buildings, combined with historic steel framing and concrete floors and some more recent alterations. The condition and details of the structure posed a number of challenges, and we worked carefully and collaboratively with the contractor and specialists to investigate the structures, establish areas requiring intervention and to provide targeted remedial and strengthening works. These included the replacement of damaged sections of timbers and the provision of additional support to some floors.

New structural elements included steel framed stair cores that provide additional circulation, and an additional floor in some areas, achieved with a steel framed mansard-style roof. New foundations and support framing was carefully installed within the existing structure to facilitate these additions. 

The site drainage posed a number of challenges, including the need to work around a significant existing public sewer that crossed the site, and co-ordination with the local sewer provided to agree and justify the rate of discharge into their system. The final design achieved the requirements with stormwater storage and attenuation within a tightly constrained area of the site.