University of Northampton
Value - £3.2m | Main contractor - Kier Construction
The £330 million Waterside Campus at the University of Northampton is located on the banks of the River Nene and provides state-of-the-art facilities for 15,000 students with contemporary accommodation and leisure amenities open to the local community.
The challenge:
At the beginning of 2016, following a competitive tender Mansell Building Solutions secured a £3.2 million contract with Kier Construction to supply and install an SFS pre-panelised system for the construction of a new 600-bedroom student accommodation development on the campus, the largest Metsec Metframe project in the UK at the time.
30,000m2 of pre-panelised SFS, 11,000m2 of Holorib decking plus reinforced concrete to intermediate floors needed to be installed over a 33-week period and a watertight shell handed over to Kier Construction on time and to budget by the summer of 2017.
Time constraints were a major factor so complete supply chain collaborated was required to ensure the best possible lead times and results.
The solution:
We worked closely with the design team, including architects Stride Treglown and Metsec, to ensure that drawings were produced and approved by all parties for construction.
3D models were then produced so that all individual sections were manufactured precisely saving time installing on-site.
SFS sections were delivered by Metsec to Mansell’s 42,000ft2 production facility in Middleton, Manchester where the structure was pre-panelised.
The panels were delivered to site using just in time delivery methods and craned into position, with insulation and brick ties then fitted.
Lift panels were constructed in the same way and steel staircases and bathroom pods were incorporated into the frame as construction progressed.
Metal decking was then installed with additional rebar and anti-crack mesh and concrete poured to form a floor.
This process was repeated, floor by floor, until roof level was reached whereupon a Metsec Roof Cassette, pre-lined with 18mm OSB, was then installed to make the building watertight.
The benefits:
As pre-panelisation was undertaken in Mansell’s production facility, fabrication was completed to strict factory tolerances to guarantee accuracy and quality, working to the approved drawings.
It took approximately three weeks to install appropriate panels, decking and concrete to an area of 1,250m2, far more efficient that traditional methods of construction.
As soon as a floor was complete the appropriate trades, including M&E teams, moved in to commence works, considerably speeding up the construction process.
Mansell Building Solutions effectively managed the erection sequence and the use of just-in-time delivery methods reduced the amount of deliveries to site.
Pre-cladding of the external panels at Mansell’s production facility also helped to speed up the on-site construction process.
Mansell Building Solutions is one of Metsec’s preferred installers, so have worked closely in partnership for many years and this partnership approach was crucial to the success of this installation.
Mansell Building Solutions completed their works on time ensuring a timely handover to Kier Construction and the development was completed ready for the 2018/19 academic year.
