Babraham - volumetric box structural core system shows precast advantages

The Babraham Research Campus is acknowledged as a leading research and innovation campus for the UK and is home to both world-class academic research and commercial life-science companies.

Additional campus buildings for this cutting edge Cambridgeshire facility continue to be developed - and this has given PCE Ltd the opportunity to once again demonstrate the effectiveness of their volumetric box structural core systems for multi-storey framed buildings.

The offsite precast advantage

Three core structures, that will provide the structural stability for a steel framed building, were all constructed to full height in less than two and a half working weeks on behalf of main contractor HuttonGroup. Two of them combined stairs and lifts, the third lift only. The fast erection to full height of the cores enabled the subsequent frame contractor to progress their work without delays as well as a reduction in other operatives working on site at the same time thus giving an overall safer working environment.

The offsite factory production of the stair and lift shaft boxes ensured the critical internal dimensional accuracy was maintained within the tight tolerance requirements of the finished core structure.Constructing the cores using individual wall panel components would have significantly increased onsite programme and costs due to propping and jointing requirements, with the risk of the finished shafts being less accurately constructed.