Austin-Smith:Lord - Schooner Wharf

Project Details

Project - Schooner Wharf

Sector - Residential

Technology - Steel

Company - Austin-Smith:Lord

Project Overview

Schooner Wharf is a mixed tenure housing scheme commissioned by Cardiff Community Housing Association in a prominent Cardiff Bay waterside location comprising 85 apartments for private sale and 32 social rented homes.

Due to early contractor involvement and applying lessons learnt from a previous project, MetFrame - offsite system - was used for the 7-storey apartment block. The design was carried out to BIM Level 2 standards although not a contractual requirement. This allowed detailed coordination with other disciplines.

The statistics for the MetFrame structure are impressive;
• 18,693 cold-rolled steel members totalling 184tonnes.
• 1,248 hot-rolled steel parts totalling 103tonnes including large cantilever balconies
• 3,488 sheets of decking forming the composite concrete floors
• Approximately 70,000 bolts to connect the steel components.
The MetFrame panels were pre-assembled offsite in Atkin Trade's Cardiff manufacturing facility. This offsite construction method reduced the site programme compared to other forms of construction which was a major factor in this system being used.
An average of 5 Atkin Trade operatives was required on site taking just 21 weeks to install the structure of the 7-storey apartment block.

Find further information on Austin-Smith:Lord on their website: www.austinsmithlord.com