SUMMARY
The project was of particular archaeological interest due to it’s location and the start was delayed whilst areas were carefully excavated to remove human remains to be archived. A large section of human remains deemed to be too large to remove were left in and the structure was designed to span this area. The falsework for the upper floors was designed to span these areas using spreader beams to transfer the weight outside this area.
The project was a bespoke concrete frame which had to be constructed in a particular sequence to enable the suspended floors to be cured prior to the construction of the internal balustrade walls which support the ‘floating’ staircase. Each pour had its own set of shutters to suit the differing curvature of the wall. The third floor sits 14 metre high above the ground floor level with a 750mm deep suspended slab which is cantilevered to provide the client with a curved glass façade with no concrete columns. The falsework had to be formed around the steel mullions for the glass facade to ensure the tight tolerances for the glass were met.
In particular the spiral staircase constructed between the 2nd and 3rd floors had to be formed with a combination of RMD’s curved trapeze formwork system, and handmade timber shutters for the tighter radius sections.
The majority of the soffits / faces of balustrade walls are left as exposed concrete surfaces. With a particular feature being made of the curving sky light in the café / informal meeting area which has a rocket from the former Soviet arsenal as a spectacular feature.
The Hiscox Building was shortlisted in the 2016 Concrete Society Awards.