PROJECT REPORT: COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS 37


floors without extensive demolition or structural strengthening of existing structure, to have a faster and cost effective build.


Crumbling concrete


Despite the opportunities the site offered, there were a number of restrictions that made the construction process “challenging.”


Not least of these was the age and condition of the buildings. A number of unforeseen problems soon arose, with the concrete discovered to be crumbling in some areas. Remedial structural engineering works were therefore necessary, and the size, age and quality of materials in the properties was varied. According to Foster, available space in the existing buildings was a major issue: “The warehouse for instance doesn’t have huge ceiling heights by today’s standard, which made it a bit of a squeeze to


ADF NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023


install the necessary services on the ground and first floors.”


This was ameliorated with taller floor- to-ceiling heights in the new build timber floors however, and The Dock was also made wider to open the spaces up. The widening did require new foundations, but none were necessary for the parts above the original building.


Joining these old and new structures also introduced both technical and organisational challenges. One of the more innovative approaches in the structure of The Dock especially, the net gain above involved installing a timber frame atop the existing concrete, using a steel transfer structure to align the two.


Considering the challenges of retrofit in general, though the gains were “more than worth it,” Foster tells me the adaptive retrofit project exemplified how the process is far from easy: “It can be tough.


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The retention of the existing concrete alone has been calculated as saving 1108 m3


of carbon


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