Nemetschek Engineering User Contest 2009 • Category 2: CAE Housing & Buildings 101 2 An opening through one of these concrete framed blocks provides a vehicle access route into the courtyard area and car parking areas. As a consequence, a transfer slab is present locally at first floor level to bridge over this vehicle access route in order to support the 5 storeys above it. Another transfer slab is present for the top storey, again locally above the vehicle access area only because the column positions for the top storey are different to those below. There were many challenges when undertaking the design of the three concrete framed blocks and these included the following: • The three concrete framed blocks were created in a single ESA-Prima Win file; this ESA-Prima Win file comprised of two independent structural models due to presence of vertical movement joint separating one of the blocks from the other two blocks. • The general plan outline of the three concrete framed blocks is L-shaped however not many floor edges are straight due to the presence of faceted slab edges, the presence of inset balconies and also cantilever balconies. In addition, each floor plan area is different due to each storey height being stepped. • The blocks comprise of many column types ranging from circular, rectangular and square. In addition, the shape and/or size of many of these columns is not consistent all the way up the building. This was dictated by both architectural and cost constraints. • The commercial areas are effectively 2-storeys in height as the mezzanine floor is not present in these areas. As a consequence, these columns are typically larger at ground floor level to cater for the increased column height however were reduced in size the higher up the building in order to reduce construction costs. • An ESA-Prima Win creep analysis was undertaken to determine the additional reinforcement required to control deflection to acceptable magnitudes. This was particularly important for these blocks as the maximum span between columns was over 7 metres over the car parking areas. In addition, the creep analysis was particularly important for the transfer slabs and also the roof top slabs supporting the garden areas where loading was higher than typical roof loading conditions. •. Reinforced concrete shear walls forming the lift and stair cores provided the lateral stability for the blocks. The large pile caps supporting these cores were analysed using a separate ESA-Prima Win FE model. The ESA-Prima Win software allowed us to analyse and design the building structure to a degree of economy that would not have been possible using more conventional software packages or hand calculations. The nature of the software also helped us to assess the effects of design development decisions quickly and efficiently. This allowed us to have a key role in the value engineering of the building. Woodgrange Road, London E7
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTgyMDE=