| Aldermanbury Square, EC2, London |
| Owner |
Scottish Widows |
| Contractors: |
Byrne Bros (Formwork) Ltd |
| Concrete Supplier: |
Hanson Premix |
| Volume: |
100 m3 |
| Concrete Description: |
Self-compacting Concrete (SCC) for Walls |
| Admixtures Used: |
Glenium C315 & Rheobuild 2006L. |
Background
Scottish Widows decided to redevelop Royex House, demolishing the existing 17,116 m² Seifert-designed office building for a new £8 million scheme designed by Eric Parry Architects. The scheme creates a new space connecting Wood Street and Aldermanbury Square to the upper level of the Barbican High Walk.
The new 24,150 m², 18-storey building sitting above the public space consists of two staggered wings divided by a receding central section that admits light into the triple height ground floor reception space, linking the two entrances. The stainless steel cladding encloses the external perimeter structure and the facades are arranged with double height bays. 19 car parking spaces, 142 cycle spaces and 47 motorcycle spaces are provided at basement level.
Full planning permission was granted in December 2002 and the scheme is currently on site; demolition of the existing building began in July 2004, and completion is expected towards the end of 2006.
BASF Admixtures
Although the use of self-compacting concrete was limited to a small part of this prestigious contract – the internal walls of the reception area – it nevertheless enabled Byrne Bros to achieve an excellent architectural finish, meeting demanding high-quality requirements in spite of heavy steel reinforcement.
Using the analogy of a chef, Byrne Bros commented that using BASF’s admixtures on the project was like having the special ingredient to make something happen.