SPRING/SUMMER 2013
www.civicengineers.com stephen@civicengineers.com julian@civicengineers.com +44 (0)20 7253 2977 | London +44 (0)161 228 6757 | Manchester
WELCOME The signs of Spring always bring grounds for optimism and 2013 is no different. The last twelve months have brought with them evidence of a slow moving economy but one where many have adjusted to the new normal, a market of caution and care. Over this period our Practice has experienced a period of stability and gentle growth. We have renewed our commitment to high quality design and protected our commercial independence, securing new high quality commissions. We have a broad portfolio of projects ranging from city-wide spatial strategies, through to special structures, innovative housing and town centre renewal programmes, a sample of which are profiled in this booklet.
Images courtesy of Alison Brooks Architects
EXETER COLLEGE, OXFORD We are the Structural Engineer on Alison Brooks Architects’ design team that won an open competition held in 2011 for the re-development of the Ruskin College campus in Oxford, for Exeter College. This £18m development is currently in the detail design stage, with construction starting this autumn. The scheme includes an auditorium, cultural and dining facilities, 90 student bedrooms and teaching facilities on the site of the existing Ruskin college. It is a bold re-working of the site with the original 1912 Ruskin Building being reconstructed within its historic front façades.
OUTER LONDON BOROUGHS: HOUNSLOW, HACKBRIDGE AND NORTH FINCHLEY These three projects are very different, however as outer London suburbs they are each contending with similar issues. London has led the way on getting people out of their cars and using public transport, in a UK context, through cycling, walking and public transport. There are many and complex reasons why this has been effective, however many of the outer boroughs still have high car dependency, which has many negative implications particularly in a conurbation as densely populated as Greater London. The borough administrations of Hounslow, Sutton (Hackbridge) and Barnet (North Finchley) are faced with the very real and direct challenge of reduced resources while committed to achieving their sustainability, public health, crime and township vitality targets. Along with our collaborators (David Kohn Architects, Hounslow; Adams & Sutherland, Hackbridge; & MUF, North Finchley) we are working closely with the Council Members and Officers to explore the idea of ‘Towns of short trips’. This ‘towns of short trips’ philosophy is a simple approach to dealing with the spatial structure across the borough, creating a network of pedestrian prioritised streets that focus on a settlement as the centre of this network. Work on each project is at different stages, however the objective of the studies is to deliver capital works as the seed bed for follow on investment. Image courtesy of Adams & Sutherland
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Keep the district moving Environmentally responsible Supporting local enterprise Reduce crime and anti social behaviour – Healthy lifestyles. Image courtesy of BioRegional
GREATER MANCHESTER GREENWAYS
‘Urban enjoyment helps determine a city’s success, talent is mobile, and it seeks out good places to consume as well as produce.’ Edward Glaeser Greater Manchester Greenways – our concept paper sets out one approach to making an environmental shift in our urban infrastructure that supports healthier lifestyles, better connected neighbourhoods and short trip access to local amenities. The Greenways provide radial routes into the city centre that offer an alternative to the car, along existing highways, to strengthen the physical and economic connection between the regional town centres and City centre.
MANCHESTER COLLEGE EAST THE TOGETHER TRUST Having completed a new ÂŁ7m building for these two educational institutions in 2012 on the site of the former Rolls Royce engine works in East Manchester, we are working on a 10m high sculpture for the site. The design was conceived by a student of the Manchester College in a competition, and we have been asked to engineer it. It has 12 steel petals, bent to a curvature, then fixed together at their ends. We have designed the structure and are now working with Chris Brammall Ltd (Cumbria) who will make and install it. Also for the College, we are developing a straw-bale pavilion for this site, in collaboration with Walker Simpson Architects. In January we tested a prototype straw bale vault at the College with the help of engineering students from Manchester University. The next stage of this project is to test a long spanning straw bale arch which will inform the final design.
CANAL PARK, EAST LONDON The London Olympics was an exceptional event – a very special experience for the entire country. The impact of the games has created a lot of development momentum, with a massive build programme covering the whole Olympics district. We are playing a part in this development programme, working on constructing a new park that forms the seam between Tower Hamlets, Hackney Wick and Olympic Park. Appointed by London Legacy Development Corporation and collaborating with by J&L Gibbons; landscape architects, supported Phil Meadowcroft, architect; MUF, architects/ artists; & East, architects. Our role has been to advise on movement, access, civil engineering, waterways, strategic utilities and structures.
21 ARLINGTON STREET, LONDON
Within 5 minutes walk from our Berry Bros site on Pall Mall, is another project of ours currently under construction. Also a listed building, we are converting and adapting 18th century cellars under the forecourt of this building, which adjoins the Ritz Hotel, into office units. The structural work is akin to key-hole surgery with a new circular stairwell, re-construction of brick groin vaults and new structural glass panels to open-up and bring natural light into the spaces.
62-63 Pall Mall models
62-63 PALL MALL, LONDON
This ÂŁ10.5m office building project started on site in 2012, and is currently under construction.
Image courtesy of JM Architects Ltd
ISLINGTON WHARF PHASE 2, MANCHESTER THE MALINGS PHASE 1, OUSEBURN, NEWCASTLE The demand for housing remains at an all time high with increasing pressure on local services, utilities and amenities. These two schemes, Islington Wharf in Manchester (£5m) and the Malings in Ouseburn, Newcastle (£9.5m) are borne out of the tightest self-imposed socially responsible investment criteria, creating 46 and 76 new dwellings respectively on each site.
Working closely with Developer, Igloo & Ash Sakula Architects on Ouseburn, and Isis & JM Architects on Vesta Street, the proposals embed into the topography of the sites, establish positive community relationships within the neighbourhoods, and link into local transport infrastructure to achieve very high standards of sustainable development.
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON – CENTRAL LIBRARY We have been working for UCL since 1998, completing over one hundred commissions ranging from small structural interventions to major new buildings. Recently completed is the central library oculus project. Within this Grade 1 listed building, and working with Burwell Deakins Architects, we have openedup an oculus within the existing floor structure below the central dome. The new structure is a structural glass disc supported off a cruciform pattern of glass beams. This glass structure supports the statue of St Michael, who weighing just 1.5 tonnes, was lowered into his new position as pride of place in August 2012. New exhibition space occupies the floor below the oculus.
THANK YOU... A common thread throughout our project work is the pursuit of progressive engineering in building structures, installations, housing, public spaces and urban infrastructure. Focusing on design quality, continuing to invest in technologies such as BIM and Cloud Computing, we have bound together a strong team of like-minded Engineers and Technicians who have a shared passion to bring to our projects. We hope to get the opportunity to work together with you in the near future.
www.civicengineers.com stephen@civicengineers.com julian@civicengineers.com +44 (0)20 7253 2977 | London +44 (0)161 228 6757 | Manchester