Fulfilling the client brief
Skyline Design provided a design to fulfil the clients brief to develop the site into apartments. The ground was clay and due to the trees the foundations would have been deep. To remove the cost of expensive excavations Croft Structural + Civil provided a piled scheme design.
Fast effective construction
For a fast effective construction a timber frame solution was decided upon. By constructing the frame off-site while simultaneously excavating and casting foundations, construction time was significantly reduced. The added bonus was to pull the Bricklayers off the critical path.
Providing a faster and cheaper solution
The ground in the area was poor and traditional trench footings would have to be over 2.8m deep. To provide a faster and cheaper solution Croft specified reinforced ground beams supported off piles. Providing a strong engineered solution that applies its loads far below areas affected by subsidence in London. Timber frame is around half the weight of a traditional masonry and precast floor building. The lightweight nature of the timber frame allowed for the piles and ground beams to be lighter and ultimately reducing the overall build costs.
