Customized Office Solutions

By Redazione The Plan - 11 January 2010

Sir John Egan’s ‘Rethinking Construction’ report was commissioned to look at better ways of building and it summarises the requirements of many developers, building owners and occupiers who call for major improvements:
-   faster design and construction, without compromising choice and    quality;
-   reduced cost, to be achieved through efficient design and            procurement not reduced specifications;
-   cost and time certainty at the earliest possible stage and            therefore reduced risk for business cases;
-   maximised development value.
The principal aim is to offer design choices, with swift delivery at    competitive pricing. Choices in:
-   building layout and number of storeys;
-   configuration of reception and atrium spaces;
-   external building envelope options including glazed, metal or            stone curtain walling, tiled rain-screen or brick cladding;
-   solar control glass, external sun shading or combinations of the        two;
-   internal finishes to the client’s particular preference.
The structural approach combines flexibility with efficiency. It comprises a number of pre-designed building elements which can be used to build up a building layout in a infinite variety of forms. The customised building is based on a 9m by 9m column grid.
Suspended floors are constructed either from a 250mm post-tensioned concrete slab or a 300mm reinforced slab to give span/depth ratios which minimise building weight and overall height.
The standard column components are pre-cast off site using high strength concrete. This means smaller diameters which maximises internal floor space. Pre-casting in factory conditions also brings the highest quality so enabling untreated exposed finishes. A braced steel core incorporating service riser, staircase and lifts provides structural stability.
Reid Architecture’s most significant design idea at the start of this...