Since our last blog construction works have progressed steadily and the footprint of the structure is now well established.
Most people will have noticed the 2 large green ‘Luffing’ Tower Cranes which were erected mid July and are essential for distributing materials around site. Also erected, between the 2 tower cranes, is a white ‘concrete placing boom’, which is used to pump concrete around the site. The erection of these 3 items of major plant was a major milestone in the Construction Programme and marked the commencement of the Superstructure Works.
The concrete ‘shell’ to the concert hall has been progressed up to ground level and a few of the columns can now been seen above the hoarding along Victoria Station Approach.
The lower basement slabs and columns are complete, and we have now started to ‘deck out’ the underside of the B1 suspended slab.
There are 3 structural ‘Cores’ within the building. These cores will act as the primary routes for vertical movement for staff and students once the building is complete, therefore the primary stairs, lifts and service risers are located within these cores. The cores are also important structural elements of the building and prevent building collapse. The cores are key elements of the structure in most buildings and we are now well underway in the construction of the 3 cores at Chetham’s. Different methods will be used to build each core, however the public will soon see Core 1 (on the corner of Hunts Bank and Victoria Station Approach) rise above the hoarding towards the sky.
Offsite, we have started to produce some of the 400,000 handmade bricks which will be used to wrap around the elevations. Other prefabricated elements of the building are also being progressed, including the steel footbridge & roof trusses, precast cladding panels, and M&E items.
