20 INSIGHTS The rigour is in the workmanship
and process, not the finish Adam Burgess, Alford Hall Monaghan and Morris
strip the building back to basics in order to optimise performance. In tandem with this, the designers have meticulously set out services in order to achieve an architecturally ordered visual result. While Burgess says the trend for exposed services has in many
cases “become ornament,” here AHMM have stripped the building back to the necessities with traditionally hidden functional items such as ventilation and sprinkler runs becoming an integral part of the architecture. “Therefore,” he says, “it was important that we co-ordinated and controlled the setting out, even down to conduits.” This painstaking approach extended to the board-marked concrete exterior, which expresses the nature of its construction, giving an “honest, process driven finish”. Says Burgess, “By understanding the concrete construction process and the impacts this had on the final product, we could pragmatically set out key elements such as tie holes, construction joints and pump positions within the formwork, so when struck the final finish was co-ordinated and coherent” The effect of this is to break up the exterior and add character and interest. Says Burgess: “We understood all the elements that were going to scar the concrete, but decided early on that we wanted to work with these elements rather than fight against them.” AHMM set a demanding brief to contractors on attention to detail: “We were aware of the commercial realities of delivering so much exposed concrete, so it was important to work with the subcontracting teams to focus on controllable elements such as setting out and workmanship.” On close inspection, the natural imperfections of the concrete process are evident, with honeycombing, grout loss and movement joints all visible. Burgess explains: “With high-finish concrete you might seek to remediate these minor defects, but with this, it was a case of saying this is part of the character of the concrete, so let’s go with it. We wanted an honest and characterful finish.” The result is a moderated, elegant combination of precise concrete forming, with an unfinished aesthetic – the best of both worlds, exemplified in the massive 1200 mm solid concrete column holding up the reception soffit. “The rigour is in the workmanship and process, not the finish,” says Burgess.
The right mix
The design team had to achieve a fit for purpose material which could also be poured quickly and efficiently by the contractor. “It had to be commercially applied because it’s a large speculative development, and not a small scale bespoke resi project.” Including recycled ingredients for sustainability goals meant hitting a delicate balance to maintain efficiency and the desired aesthetics. Says Adam: “We wanted a fairly warm colour, and had to experiment with the mixes and how the cement substitutes affected it” – testing included creating a series of large scale mock-ups that experimented with formwork.
The finished concrete has a warm tone close to that of the white-oiled rough sawn timber it is paired with in reception areas to the low-rise buildings and the floor of the Factory’s reception. The architects wanted a natural board-marked finish, however the traditional timber shuttering approach was not commercially practical due to the jumpform construction method being used meaning timber would be wasted and excess time spent.
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK ADF JULY 2018
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