60HolbornViaduct,London

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Historicdesignincorporated
Anewcommercialdevelopmenton
centralLondonsHolbornViaduct
includesarebuiltVictorian
gatehousehelpingtorestorethe
historicoverpass.
ByMartinCooper

Theeyecatchingcommercial
developmentat60HolbornViaduct
willprovide20,000m2ofenergy
efficientofficeandretailspaceover
13levels.Thebuildingreplaces
BathHouse,aformermixeduse
developmentthatpreviouslystood
onthesiteandhadbecomean
outmodedstructureinthisfast
changingdistrictadjacenttothe
City.

60HolbornViaductisasteel
framedstructuredesignedto
achieveaBREEAMExcellent TheprojectoccupiesaprominentsiteonabusyCityjunction
ratingwithfeaturessuchassolar
hotwater,useoflownitrogenoxide
boilersandlightingcontrolsystems.

Inkeepingwithitsneighbours,ahighlyvisualmoderncurvingfaadewithalightglazedcurtain
wallinghasbeenchosenforthestructuresexterior.

SightlinesofStPaulsCathedralandrightstolighthadtobetakenintoconsiderationand
explainwhythestructuretapers.ViewsofStPaulshavetobemaintained,whilenearby
buildingsmustnothavetheirnaturaldaylightblackedout.Thebuildingthereforeisdesigned
withanumberofarchitecturallydrivenstepsandterraces,thelargestofwhichislocatedonthe
topmostninthfloor.

Planningstipulationsalsodictatedthatthenewbuildingcouldnotexceed53.15maboveground
level.Tomakebestuseoftheplanningenvelopeandmaximisethefloortoceilingheightson
theofficefloorswehavedesigned465mmdeepcellularsteelbeams.With300mmdeepcells
forservicesdistributionthisprovidesanintegratedstructureserviceszoneandminimisesthe
overallfloorzone,explainsScottEdgar,RambollAssociate.

Terracesoccuratlevels4,5,7,8and9andtosupporttheseareasanumberoflargetransfer
structures,formedwithplategirders,havebeenerected.Thedeepestoftheseis595mmdeep
andithadtobeliftedintoplaceintwopiecestosuitthecapabilityoftheonsitetowercrane.
 Incontrasttoitspredominantlycontemporary
style,60HolbornViaductincorporatesa
gatehouse,astructurebuiltwithtraditional
Portlandstonework(seebelow)anderectedto
replacethesitesoriginalgatehousewhichwas
demolishedmorethan40yearsago.

Aswellasthereinstatementofanhistoric
structure,thesitestopographyhasalsobeena
challenge.Thebasementboxisconstructedin
concreteandextendsoverthefullfootprintof
thesitewithahighergroundslabtotheeast
(HolbornViaduct)wheretheexternalground
levelisatitshighest.Thesteelframeis
constructedoffthatslabwithanadditionallower
Transferstructuressupportthebuildings groundretailmezzanineconstructedinsteelto
manyterraces thewestwherethegroundlevelislower.

A
roundedbullnosefeatureprotrudesfromthe
westernelevation,boundingSnowHilland
FarringdonStreet.Thisfeatureisalsothemost
complexpartofthestructuralsteelframeasa
myriadofbeamsconvergeatonepoint.This
meantaconcentratednumberofindividualsteel
pieceswereerectedheretoformthefaceted
perimeter,andsteelworkcontractorSeverfield
Watson(nowSeverfield(UK)Ltd)foundthistobe
themosttimeconsumingpartofthejob.

Inordertoachievethedesiredlongspan,
columnfreespaceswithintheofficesthe
structureispredominantlyarrangedina12mx
9mgridpattern.Oneexceptiontothisstandard
gridisthedoubleheightmainentrancefoyer
positionedalongtheHolbornViaductfrontage
whereanumberofcolumnshavebeenavoided
byhangingthecurvedatriumslabedgefromthe ThePortlandstonecladgatehousewillhelp
steelstructureabove. restoreHolbornViaducttoitsoriginaldesign

Twoslipformedcoreswereerectedpriortothe
steelworkpackagecommencing.Thecoreshadembedmentplatescastintothemduring
constructiontoformtheconnectionwiththesteelbeams,andthisenabledSeverfieldWatson
(nowSeverfield(UK)Ltd)toerectsteelworkquicklyandefficiently.

Coordinationisimportantonasitelikethis,explainsAndyClarke,BalfourBeattyProject
Director.Theresnoroomformaterialstoragesoallofthesteelhadtobedeliveredonajustin
timebasis.

Steelworkerectionwascompletedtowardstheendof2012,theprojectteamisnowracing
towardsthissummerscompletiondate.
Thereturnofhistoricgatehouses
Akeycomponentoftheprojectisthe
constructionofthegatehousethatwill
reintroducestaircaseaccessatthenortheast
cornerofthejunctionbetweenthehigherlevel
HolbornViaductandthelowerlevelFarringdon
Street.

StipulatedbytheCityofLondon,rebuildingthe
gatehousewasamajorrequirementforthenew
development.Thestructurewillmeanthatonce
againthejunctionhasagatehouseineach
corner.Originallytherewerefouroftheseornate
Portlandstonebuildingstwoweredemolished
lastcentury,withoneoftheselaterreplaced
whenthenorthwestcornerwasredevelopedin
the1990s.

Thenewgatehouseispartofthesamesteel
frameasthemainbuilding,butasitwillbeclad
withPortlandStone,itwilllookverydistinctand
separate.Inordertoreplicatetheoriginal
gatehousedesign,theinternalsteelframeis
encasedinreinforcedconcretewhichprovides
verticalsupportandlateralrestrainttothestone
faade.

Becauseoftheintricatenatureofthestoneand
thehistoricalignmentofthewindowsbetweenlevelsthesteelframetothegatehouseis
complex.Atwincolumnconfigurationwasadoptedatthelowestleveltominimisethedepthand
maximisetheuseableareawithinthestairwell,saysScottEdgar,RambollAssociate.

Alotofdesigntimewasspentoncoordinatingthegatehouselayoutwiththatoftheoffice
block.Atsecondfloorlevelthenewfloorconstructionissteppedby650mmtotherearofthe
historicwindowstoavoidobstructingtheelevationwhileavoidinganylossoflettablearea.

Thebrickworkoftheviaductsupportedtheoriginalgatehouse,butasthisstructureisnow
listed,andtocontroldifferentialsettlementsbetweentheFarringdonRoadandHolbornViaduct
elevationsacantileveringsteelstructurehasbeenprovidedtosupportthestonework.Tolimit
thepotentialfordifferentialsettlementsthenewsteelframecantileversovertheviaductby1.5m
separatingthenewbuildingfromtheviaduct,saysMrEdgar.

Architect KohnPedersenFoxAssociates
StructuralEngineer Ramboll
SeverfieldWatsonStructures
SteelworkContractor
(nowSeverfield(UK)Ltd)
MainContractor BalfourBeatty
MainClient AxaRealEstateInvestments
Retrievedfrom"http://www.steelconstruction.info/60_Holborn_Viaduct,_London"
Category:CasestudiesMultistoreyofficebuildings
Atwincolumnconfigurationwasadoptedfor
thegatehousedesign