Blue Circle HQ
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JOINT MEETING ApapertobepresentedanddiscussedatajointmeetingoftheCharteredInstitutionofBuildingServicesEngineersandtheInstitutionofStructuralEngineers at Millbank Tower, LondonSW1, on Tuesday 24March 1987at 6.0pm. The Blue Circle Industries headquarters building, Aldermaston D. J. A. Alsop, BEng, CEng, FIStructE, FICE Oscar Faber Partnership DavidAlsopgraduatedatLiverpoolUniversityin 1958 and spent 14 years with W. S. Atkins & Partners as engineer and then senior engineer in its Civil and Structural Engineering Departments. This period included 3 years as manager of the firm’ssubsidiary practice in Karachi, Pakistan. In 1972 he joined the Oscar Faber Partnership as seniorengineerand, Zyearslater, becamean Associate, responsibleforanumberofcommercialandindustrial projectsin the UK, theMiddleEast, and WestAfrica. For some 16 years he was an examiner for the Institution ‘S Part 3 examination and is currently a member of Council. Synopsis The paper describasome aspects of the structural design of the new headquarters building for a leading cement manufacturer. The I3 OOO m2 building was designed to make practical use of concrete in a wide variety of visualb attractive ways. Particular attention is paid to the problems of piling in thedvflcult ground conditions encountered, the design of thesuperstructure floors, and the framing arrangements for the two atrium roofs. Background and history In the late 1970s Blue Circle Industries plc, the UK’s largest cement manufacturer, reviewed the accommodation needs of its headquarters staff who were then occupying most of a 28-storey building at Stag Place in Victoria, London. With modem changes in communications and operating conditions, BC1 felt that a central London base was no longer necessary or desirable and decided to seek an alternative location. Aldermaston Court was one of the many sites investigated, and Richard Gilbert Scott of architects Sir Giles Scott, Son & Partner was invited to report on its feasibility. The exceptional potential of the site, as highlighted in Richard Gilbert Scott’s report, led BC1 to finalise the purchase in 1982 and confirm the appointments of the architect and the other members of the consultancy team. The site Aldermaston Court is an estate of some 55 ha andsituated on the southern edge of the village of Aldermaston, 13 km south west of Reading in Berkshire. Its history can be traced back to William the Conquerer whose army camped there after the Battle of Hastings. Three hundred years later it passed into the hands of the Forster family who are known to have entertained Queen E l i b e t h I in the manor house on at least one occasion. Subsequent owners rebuilt much of the old manor house in the 17th century and extended it in the 18th century. Much of thisbuilding was destroyed by fire in 1843 and 6 years later a new owner, Daniel Burr, built the present manor house on a new site but included several features from the earlier building. He also built a dam across the valley in front of the house to form a magnificent 4.5 ha lake. Since the death of the last private owner in 1929the estate and the manor house have fallen on lean times. For part of this time, during the second world war, it was requisitioned by the Government but, for half a century, virtually no substantial maintenance or improvement works were undertaken. It is therefore extremelygratifying that a new owner with the interest, enthusiasm and resources to bring the estate back to its former glory has stepped into the breach. c-- 0 50 1M)m Fig I. Site plan (the section is Fig 7). The manor house is a listed building and the planning consent precluded its use as offices. Nevertheless, consent was available for up to 18 OOO m* of office space on the site. Richard Scott soon identified an area of ample size on the east bank of the lake (Fig l), with a slope of some 1:7, as the ideal site for the new building. From across the lake the building is seen to nestle into the side of the hill, framed all round by trees with the manor house above and beyond. The building The finished building very closely resembles that which the architect envisaged in his feasibility report. The Structural EngineerNolume 65A/No. 3IMarch 1987 99
description
Structural design presentation
