B&K Structures has helped to deliver a high-profile new retail development in London’s Pimlico Road Design District, providing an off-site manufactured, hybrid steel and engineered timber package.
Newson’s Yard is a high-profile design hub featuring top-end retail outlets and eateries, located in a refurbished and reimagined former timber yard set amidst the famous Pimlico Road Design District.
Created as a mainly residential extension to Belgravia, the Pimlico district of south west London is known for its garden squares and Regency architecture, first being designated a conservation area in 1968.
As befits a former timber yard, timber was a key material for this imaginative refurbishment scheme, and B&K Structures (BKS) – a leading exponent of mass timber and structural steel packages – was instrumental in the delivery of Newson’s Yard.
Newson’s Yard has been developed by Grosvenor, with Stiff + Trevillion as architect and Heyne Tillett Steel (HTS) appointed as structural engineer.
Hybrid steel and timber
BKS provided the offsite-manufactured, hybrid steel and engineered timber package, including the use of CLT panels, which formed part of the new internal structure and created an extensive mezzanine level.
Design expertise helped address the technical challenges associated with the heavy refurbishment work of Newson’s Yard.
Rob Mills of HTS explains: “We were involved in a very detailed survey of the building prior to beginning the design work, which showed the old timbers were actually in quite good condition, but the task of incorporating them, and the retained brickwork, into the new structure was extremely complex.
“Part of the reason we were able to employ a CLT solution was its inherent fire resistance. Each of the units has its own means of escape, so we were only required to achieve 30 minutes protection across the mezzanine: which we could justify with the charring characteristic of the CLT.”
Michael Polack, Technical Manager at B&K Structures, adds: “BKS designed the timber and steel connections. The cantilevering internal balconies, and restrictions on loading of the existing masonry piers, caused challenges around the CLT to steel connections. This was overcome by using shot-fired connections to optimise constructability.”
Sustainable timber
Sustainability was heavily emphasised as part of the project, so developers opted for offsite-manufactured mass timber due to its sustainability benefits and well-recognised structural capabilities. The timber was then married with steel to adhere to specific loadbearing demands, in the form of structural steelwork supporting 700m2 of CLT floor slabs and the retained frame of the Victorian building.
Just as important was the yard’s aesthetic. Including CLT panels for the floor slabs brought aesthetic benefits, with the new tenants choosing the visual appeal of exposed timber rather than lining the units. In fact, the designers specified ‘Industrial Visual’ grade CLT slabs, which were of a high enough visual quality to be left exposed to match the ambience of the former timber yard.
The supply chain for the Newson’s Yard project used interoperable Industry 3D modelling to identify clashes and understand how the CLT had to be installed before optimised production began.
Collaboration between all parties was facilitated using digital design software, which made time and cost savings and used the most up-to-date information.
The use of a prefabricated mass timber system also had inherent time-saving benefits that cut onsite prelims and supervision costs by 20%, and overall construction time by 25-30% compared to traditional construction methods.
Due to the precision cut nature of the CLT, defects and snagging were minimised, keeping the project on schedule.
BKS Operations Manager, Craig Robinson, says: “From design to manufacturing and installation, the team used the latest digital tools to ensure speedy and accurate construction. Prefabricated timber panels meant all the elements and connections could be fitted offsite and erected very quickly.”
* This article was originally published in Supplying Timber magazine.
