|
contents | business | |||||||||
| Corus' system reduces construction duration  Shepherd Construction is installing Corus Bi-Steel's Corefast system at its St Paul's Square scheme in Liverpool making a 21-week time saving on a construction programme originally estimated at 105 weeks using a traditional technique. Corus' rapid erect modular Bi-Steel building core system was specified for the lift/stair cores in the striking 17,000m², eight-storey office building which is part of phase two in the City centre mixed development scheme. The office block will include a striking glass elevation that will externally feature the projection of a rock crystal whilst providing privacy and security for occupants in the building.Early designs for the building specified a steel frame with in situ concrete walls to three stair cores, plus two pairs of lift cores with no cross bracing so all the elevations could be fully glazed. However, working to this design would have brought the initial construction programme in later than the client required, and over budget due to the cost of preliminaries. Utilising Corefast provided the Shepherd Construction team with unprecedented flexibility, shaving weeks off the original construction programme, bringing major cost savings on the build programme, and reducing the amount of craneage. By re-submitting their tender specifying Corefast, the construction programme was reduced from 105 to 84 weeks and would only require one tower crane – instead of the two specified in the original design – bringing the costs back within the client's budget and meeting the required completion date. Billington Structures, the steelwork contractor for the project, detailed and fabricated the Corefast modules at its Bristol facility and is now carrying out the erection of the three cores. Installation of the cores commenced at the beginning of December 2006. Each core is being erected in two storey sections with each stair or lift core taking four days to erect, grout and concrete. Upper levels will take only three days per two-storey height, as grouting is not required. The scheme is due to be completed in April 2008. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Construction News :: home page |