Our experience with refurbishment allows us to understand existing structures and the load paths which form within. Our forensic approach to understanding the history of the structure as well as challenging the perceived load paths within a structure allow us to fully understand the limitations of the structure and likely sources of weakness. Understanding not only the structural form but the context of the structure an often leads to understanding the cause of any structural damage or movement. Lyons O’Neill have used simple illustrations to help and engage the Client on issues relating to their buildings.
Lyons O’Neill are currently working on a number of temporary works schemes for main Contractors providing a responsive and cost effective service. We seek to understand the needs of our client and help them determine or brief to ensure we provide a pragmatic but robust solution which work within their build sequence.
Lyons O’Neill have been shortlisted and won a number of competitions in the recent past. We are always looking for opportunities to work with Architects to explore structural forms and to provide innovative ideas to push the boundaries of our experience. If you would like to discuss collaboration on a competition feel free to get in contact.
Lyons O’Neill were appointed by KLH UK to carry out the specialist timber engineering design for the cross laminated timber roof structure at the International Presbyterian Church in West Ealing. The scheme consisted of faceted CLT panels, part supported on a steel frame & part acting as a folded plate, which also needed concealed fixings along with steel erection tolerances in mind. The complex geometry provided challenges when analysing the roof stability, but these were overcome following detailed structural analysis and close collaboration with both KLH and the project engineers who designed the steel frame.
The project delivers a conversion of a 1849 Grade 2* listed former Chapel into luxury accommodation. Located within the Old Brompton Hospital site, the site is constrained on all sides by residential buildings, allowing no vehicle access. The structural philosophy was fundamental to gaining Planning and English Heritage approval. Steel screw-piles supporting a hot-rolled steel frame structure were proposed to have negligible effect on the existing structure, take no support from the existing structure, minimise disruption to the existing building fabric and to design all proposed structural elements to be fully demountable/reversible. Exposed steel sections were designed in cruciform shape using equal angles to ease installation and add to the architecture. Beam sections were formed similarly with double-up PFC sections, with standardised bolted plate connections.
This project delivers 20 luxury flats set within an existing listed church. The site fronts onto the River Thames and contains poor quality, contaminated ground. Strict Planning and English Heritage approvals were required. To accommodate the proposed scheme, structural modifications were necessary which required a thorough understanding of the existing load paths, which included a complex network or arches, columns and shear walls. The construction sequence was set to enable the piled foundations proposed RC flat slab structure to be built inside the existing building. The proposed structure was then laterally tied to the existing prior to modification works.
Our challenge on this project was to create a complex 3 dimensional form with simple 2 dimensional elements. The centrepiece of the scheme is the ‘Boiler Suit’, a facade surrounding the boilers that power the hospital. The final facade is formed of 108 tiles made of 40km of woven stainless-steel braid. At night the Boiler Suit is illuminated ‘to provide a distinctive welcoming beacon for staff and visitors arriving at the hospital’. The scheme also includes widened pavements, a one-way traffic system with designated drop-off points, new signage, CCTV, lighting and a new build shop. The project has been funded by the Pool of London Partnership, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity and the Friends of Guy’s Hospital. Kevin Lyons engineered the structure whilst a Director at Packman Lucas.
Viewed from both within the gallery and from the balcony above, the structure has the opportunity to present two faces. The structure is essentially all external allowing the internal space to be free of obstruction and ultimately flexible to the curator. The lightweight box is achieved by suspending the roof members with a series of 1.5mm diameter cables from a simple frame hidden within the roof lantern. This allowed us to maximise the structural capacity of the sections creating a simple but elegant roof. The cables were individually positioned through holes in the roof level frame and tied together before constructing the box. Once installed the cables were draped and pushed through individual clutches to support the roof. Small springs were introduced to the cables to ensure tension was always present even with variation of loading and construction tolerances. The installation process was prototyped to develop a sequence of working which allowed the structure to be delivered within programme and budget. The entrance to the space creates a transitional lobby where a perceptual shift from the V&A proper to the Contemporary program is allowed to occur. It has been designed to offer different forms of access to the gallery through five seven-metre high rotating screens. The screens can be reconfigured to the curatorial needs of each exhibition and are clad in reflective black carbon fibre sheeting, a very lightweight skin more commonly found in aircraft manufacture.
It should feel slightly daring to be in this space; not dangerous but a definite shift from normality, a juxtaposition of the familiar pushed into a new context. Uninitiated onlookers will wonder what it is at first: purely a sculpture or something more? On their daily commute they can see how it changes in the light: reflecting conditions and giving new perspectives. They will become aware it is occupied which can only add to the intrigue. Guests will become more comfortable over time as they absorb their new surroundings. Initial concerns about exposure give way to the possibilities offered by their temporary home. How often will you get to lie in bed as the sun rises over the London skyline all around you? Or lie in darkness and observe the city at night?
