A two-tower development consisting of 20 and 33 storey residential blocks located on the corner of Sheepcote Street and Broad Street in the centre of Birmingham, creating the tallest residential block in Birmingham 2019.
Both towers are RC frames with a slip formed core and post tensioned, prestressed concrete floor plates, all supported off blade columns.
Full modal analyses were undertaken for both towers in response to the building requirements for disproportional collapse assessment, which included consideration of significant vehicular impact. The commission included us undertaking the section 278 design and management for the development. Wind tunnel testing was done to assess optimal wind behaviour and how this could potentially impact on the local microclimate and the comfort of people using the taller tower.
Assistance was given to the contractor with swept vehicle analysis for site access during construction and temporary works design for the tower crane in a confined space.
To achieve economic viability for this project we reduced the amount of slabs, columns and materials used in our designs without negatively impacting on the structural performance, safety or aesthetics of the building. These reductions improved the buildings’ efficiency, netted a 23% reduction to our carbon footprint for the project and yielded a 10% financial saving of £3.5m on the £35m budget.