Role: Full structural engineering services
Halcrow Yolles is providing full structural and civil engineering services for the new Barts and Royal London Hospital. The stakeholders for this component of the £1 billion PFI scheme include the London NHS Trust, and Skanska in the role of project coordinator.
The new structures comprise reinforced concrete frames rising 18 storeys above ground level, together with a single level basement. Lateral stability is provided by a combination of shear walls in the central cores and stiff frames at the ends of the towers. Parts of the structure span up to 19 million clear to provide column-free zones underneath, and these are built of composite slabs on a localized structural steel frame. Some of the areas are top-hung in the permanent condition, but have been designed to allow bottom-up construction to minimize working at height during construction.
Throughout the design process, Halcrow Yolles has worked closely with Skanska and their trade contractors to optimize the construction process. The whole project has been drawn in three dimensions, which allows detailed coordination of structure, architecture and services before site work commences. It has also been a powerful tool for checking plant replacement strategies and maintenance access. Other matters requiring careful design and coordination have been the inclusion of builders’ work holes when the slabs are poured (there are 10,000 in this project, so core drilling is not really an option) and the use of screed-less slabs in most areas, to save on both overall height and materials.