The Works
The project was the façade remediation of a student accommodation campus in Leicester which contained blocks varying in height from six to thirteen storeys. The existing building is a steel framed building with multiple existing facades (i.e. brick, aluminium panels and rendered blockwork) restrained by either a steel framing system or blockwork backing structure. The scope of the works was to replace the existing cladding with an external wall system that was suitable for current design standards.
We provided calculations of the existing and proposed weights and reviewed the backing structure to assess whether the existing panels and their support/restraint details, had sufficient capacity to transfer the cladding loads back to the primary structure. We confirmed if any further intrusive investigations or additional design/calculations were required and also provided recommendations and strengthening details where necessary to ensure a complete robust system. For example, we identified that additional masonry restraint may be required and designed additional wind post details and connections.
