Precast Concrete for Canada Water development

Flood Precast was awarded the contract to provide the design, manufacture, delivery and installation of precast concrete elements to Canada Water development which embraced all the cutting-edge innovation and technical excellence that is required to meet these life cycle and maintenance efficiencies. All this is required while delivering to strict budget and programme restraints and a finished product which conforms to the highest quality standards. Flood Precast provided 22,000 sq m of 100mm prestressed wideslab plate, RC perimeter edge beams and associated stairs and landings.

The contract for Mace awarded by the client British Land, was the design and build of a new office development on a site within Canary Wharf. Mace employed Waterman Structural Engineers and Allies & Morrison Architects for the Architectural and Structural design. From our initial presentations and proposals, it was agreed by Mace to adapt a design of Flood Precast precast wideslab planks with exposed concrete soffits to utilise the benefits of thermal mass. The building structure consisted of a steel frame broken into three zones with all perimeters curved. The challenges for the pre-cast were to:

Achieve the structural requirements of the slab.
Coordinate the location of slab joints between precast units within the classrooms
Ensure a high-quality finish of the soffit of the planks
Distribution of services within the structural screed
Facilitate the requirement of service shafts without down stand or trimmer steel
Provide an optimum design in line with the economic requirements of the tender bid by the main contractor
Eliminate Temporary Propping.

The design theory behind thermal mass design is that construction of the building allows for natural heating and cooling by providing exposed concrete surfaces which absorb heat if the building is warm and then release heat as the building cools. This greatly reduces the need for mechanical or electrical generated heating and ventilation systems and their associated life cycle, maintenance