The Opportunity

We were asked to supply and erect the structural steelwork, metal decking and off/on site intumescent coatings for the new nine-storey building, which replaces two Victorian office blocks that occupied the site opposite Victoria Station, on a plot bounded by Vauxhall Bridge Road, Wilton Street and Victoria Street.

The Operation

The perimeter columns are all spaced at 7.5m intervals and one member at ground floor level was installed as a raking column. Because there was an old substation on the site all foundation work and the erection of new steelwork had to be diverted around it.

The entrance area contains a mezzanine floor, which is hung from the second floor. Erection of the under slung floor introduced some complexities into the steelwork build sequence as the first floor had to be initially supported on temporary columns and jacks. Once the upper floor of the structure had been erected and the second floor concrete poured, the temporary columns were removed by releasing jacks, transferring the weight of the first floor to the second floor above.

The steel frame begins at the upper basement level (-1) and although the structure abuts the adjacent Apollo Theatre on one elevation, the building is completely free standing. Oversailing the entire structure is a large curving roof, formed by a series of tubular arched sections and clad with louvers.

The Result

Looking at the building at ground level the most noticeable feature is the entrance area situated at the nose, or tip, of its D-shaped footprint. The double-height recessed façade has perimeter columns forming an external colonnade for pedestrian use, while internally it is column free giving it an open plan feel. The new building comprises shops at the street and lower ground floor levels and offices above.

Download full article on Abford House, New Steel Construction Feb 2009