External Steelwork (New Build)

There has been fantastic progress with steelwork in recent months and the new build elements have really taken shape.

These areas will deliver some of the most important elements of the redeveloped building including:

• more spacious foyer and cafe/bar spaces
• dedicated spaces for learning and participation work
• a larger, more flexible studio theatre space
• new rehearsal space and better access to the existing main rehearsal room
• more generous and better equipped scenic construction workshop
• reconfigured loading dock making it more efficient to get shows in and out of the building
• new ventilation and heating that will serve the whole building including the historic auditorium
• solar photovoltaic panels for electricity generation on the roof
• more toilets in general and additional accessible toilets including a changing places toilet
• lift access to all levels and improved accessibility throughout

The design for the steelwork has been prepared by Struer Consulting Engineers from our design team, and is being fabricated and installed by Kier Construction‘s sub-contractor, GR Contracts. There are a number of structural challenges, in particular some of the interfaces with the historic building.

The image above shows a work in progress snapshot of the 3D model that Struer used to design the structural steelwork and foundations. The new-build steel frame contains around 250 tons of steelwork and has piles going down around 18 metres into the ground to support it.

Kier and GR Contracts completed the bulk of the piles and foundations just before Christmas, then work began on the main steel structure. They started at the north end of the site (A in the image below) between the rehearsal room and the buildings next door.

Further down the line work started at the south-east end of the site where the derelict building next door and the paint/metal workshop used to be (B in the image above). The idea being to start at opposite ends of the site and eventually meet up in the South West corner (C in the image above).

In the image above the first portions of the steel frame are being erected against the rehearsal room wall and the adjacent wall of the original sandstone building. This section creates a ground floor area for bins, recycling and storage for the cafe/bar. The platform above will hold the new heating and ventilation system that will serve the main auditorium.

• 

• 

A crane is used to lift each piece of steel into its approximate position, then a pair of operators working in MEWPS (mobile elevated work platforms), guide them into place then bolt them together.

By this point, the steel frame has filled out the area to the north and is starting to turn the corner in front of the main building.

• 

• 

This area creates new links from front of house to the rehearsal room, that previously was only accessible through the backstage areas, as well as housing new toilet facilities at first and second floor, and a kitchen area on the ground floor.

• 

• 

In the images above you can see the start of the structure that will contain the new front of house lift which will serve all floors of the auditorium for the first time. The back two columns for the lift shaft walls are already in place with the foundations ready to receive the front two columns.

The structure then progressed along the wall of the building next door towards Gorbals Street, and then across the front of the historic auditorium gable wall.

• 

• 

• 

This structure in front of the auditorium creates an atrium space with skylights that bring daylight down through new staircases and into the main foyer area.

• 

• 

Areas in the sandstone wall were cut out by MS Stone in order to have padstones installed. The padstone is a concrete pad that distributes the point load from the steel beam effectively across the wall. They have also been doing a great job of using reclaimed sandstone to make good around these areas and for other repairs to the walls.

After this, the rest of the steel frame stepped out to meet Gorbals Street. You can start to see the overhang of the first floor dress circle bar area on top of the entrance and cafe bar below. In the images below you begin to get a sense of the scale of the building at the street front, albeit not full width at this stage.

• 

• 

At the other end of the site work began to form the structure that will make up the new construction workshop spaces as well as reinforcing the south wall of the historic paint frame.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Construction then advanced westwards towards the front of the building.

• 

• 

• 

• 

You can start to see the two ends of the building slowly coming together.

• 

• 

It is amazing to see how quickly things change on site. The two images above are only a week apart but you can see how much the steel frame has progressed in that short time. This area in the mid-section of the south build is where the new studio theatre will be located.

Work continued to complete the structure in the south-west corner of the building which will contain the new learning studio and events spaces.

The last corner of the steel structure is filled in, complete with the steelwork that will hold up the six stone statues on their plinths at the top of the facade.

• 

• 

With the full width of the steel frame completed, for the first time you can start to see the true size and scale of the new frontage from Gorbals Street.

When you compare the photographs with the design images you can really start to imagine what the finished building might look like.

In the next blog post I will be having a look at some of the views from inside the new build areas. They are part way through pouring the concrete slabs so we will start to be able to see what some of the large internal spaces are going to feel like.

_{^{© g.sutherland = photos by Graham Sutherland (all rights reserved)}}