The development consisted of a single storey steel frame structure above a three-storey basement. The site was very tight with poor access and a high water table, surrounded by trees and residential properties on all sides. These constraints presented a need to understand the build sequence in order to form a viable solution and negate any issues relating to trees and settlement of surrounding buildings. We came up with a scheme which provided the architect with an opportunity to form elegant atriums through the building from basement formation level to ground level whilst maximising internal space for the Client. The project also included a complex tunnelling procedure to link an existing Victorian house to the new structure at 3m depth below ground level. Again, our ability to conceive and understand the build sequence allowed an innovative solution to tunnelling below a mature Oak tree whilst protecting the surrounding buildings and environment.
This Edwardian terraced property in Clapham has been significantly reconfigured and remodelled throughout ground, first and second floors to a high standard. A contemporary basement was added, creating an enjoyable space to entertain family and friends. The basement incorporated timber wall panels which concealed storage as well as doorways. The creation of a light well to the front of the basement ensured natural daylight reflected through the space across the polished floors, creating a wonderfully bright space even on an overcast winter’s day. As well as the creation of a new basement, a rear extension was built with modern glazing, which included a double height glazed crittal wall providing direct access to a courtyard to the rear of the property.
A house previously stood on the site but was destroyed by bombing in WW2. Since then, the locality has been designated a Conservation Area and neighbouring buildings have acquired Rights to Light. With tight site constraints and the nature of the Architecture, the steel frame was designed to work seamlessly within these constraints. Lyons O’Neill also produced the steelwork fabrication drawings for this dimensionally complicated steel structure. We are delighted to have received a commendation at the prestigious ‘New London Architecture’ 2016 Awards. The awards celebrate the best new designs in London. .
Situated on a narrow site with both width and height restrictions keeping the structural elements to a minimum was paramount. We decided to proceed with a cross laminated timber construction which allowed us to maximise space and minimise construction depth. The structure was built in 3 days providing a platform and watertight environment from an early stage.
This project presented a number of challenges for the team. As with any refurbishment project we worked hard to discover how the existing building was working before we presented solutions to modify it. Along with the existing building investigations, we completed a comprehensive site investigation to assess the ground conditions on this sloped site. Both the building and site revealed a number of surprises once analysed fully which went on to heavily influence the final solutions. We worked to produce a number of schemes at an early stage and illustrated these in sketch form to discuss with the Client. This allowed both the Client and the Architect to be fully engaged in the structural process and to provide a well coordinated and coherent scheme.
A private house on a brown field site between existing domestic properties presented us with some unique buildability issues. Due to access limitations, all elements had to be brought through a narrow 2.4m wide access from the main road. The selected structural scheme maximised the width of the site by tying in the existing boundary’s without disturbing their Victorian footings. The structure was then constructed using two steel frames for stability and then simple loadbearing walls. The large floor spans were achieved by using lightweight timber ’I’ joists which could be handballed onto the site.
We worked closely with our Architect here to produce a fully integrated structure with the lighting. We proposed a structural scheme which allowed LED lighting strips to be inserted within the structural support fins. We were able to minimise the weight of the structure by creating a hybrid form which uses the glass for stability. The frame was pre erected off site to ensure build quality and speed of erection on site.
This major refurbishment of a large semi-detached property included lowering the entire building footprint to convert an unusable cellar to a luxury basement extending into the rear garden, an internal steel frame to allow an open plan living space, and an efficient roof structure to improve head height on the second floor. The basement was formed by a combination of traditional underpinning to lower the existing level of the cellar, and 3.5m height retaining walls to extend the footprint of the building at the front and rear of the property, satisfying challenging party wall conditions on both boundaries. A 10m span was achieved over full-width sliding doors via a bespoke steel truss supporting the masonry façade above, with primary steelwork allowing demolition of several internal walls. Cantilevering steelwork was designed to create a cantilevering roof over the rear patio spanning 4m in two directions.
The existing property is a combination of the main 3 storey residential building with a small basement level, together with a single storey extension between the edge of this building and the neighbouring property. The existing vertical structure to the building comprises of a number of both exterior and interior flank walls, both formed with solid masonry. The upper level floors are formed from timber joists spanning between external/internal walls whereas the ground and basement floor construction is ground bearing concrete slabs. The proposed development will comprise of a new basement level under the full footprint of the house and a new rear 2 storey extension, together with internal structural alterations. The existing brick perimeter walls will be underpinned in mass concrete following a hit and miss sequence. Reinforced concrete L shaped retaining walls will be cast inboard the mass concrete underpinning. The new basement slab will be formed using a suspended concrete slab, tied back into new retaining walls, whereas the new ground floor slab will be formed using concrete cast onto a metal deck, spanning between steelwork placed within the depth of the floor. The new steelwork will typically span between new steel columns forming goalpost frames and loadbearing masonry walls. A new 2 storey steel portal frame spanning from basement level to 1st floor level will provide the stability to the building in the new arrangement.
