20


  


© Steve Menary


McAleer & Rush had to contend not just with the DLR running but also the operational demands of London City Airport, just across Royal Victoria Dock from the hotel and influencing the height of machinery. McAleer & Rushe, which moved onto site in June 2010,


needed large piling rigs to sink nearly 280 piles. In addition to this number, 27 were 150-metre deep geo thermal piles to service the ground source heat pump needed for the BREEAM rating. A 350mm concrete base was laid for the nine-storey building,


which would feature 230mm floor slabs at each of the nine floors in the reinforced concrete frame that was constructed to facili- tate the unitised façade cladding solution. This system provides a sealed solution at the top of the build-


© Steve Menary


ing, which is achieved using thermally insulated panels manufac- tured off-site. A tower crane is used to hook the panels on and workers on safety harnesses then tighten up the bolts in an oper- ation that takes around 15 minutes per panel. There are 125 panels per floor and McAleer & Rushe hastily achieved their prescribed installation dates by attaching 84 panels in a single weekend at one point. Windows cannot be opened in the bedrooms and this rapid system offers thermal insulation with the only drawback being


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