hyTower® offsite engineered HybriDfMA structural solution

Only 5 working days to construct each floor level!

PCE Ltd’s hyTower®  offsite engineered HybriDfMA structural solution is being utilised at Regal London’s 14 storey aparthotel at Commercial Road, Whitechapel, London. The efficiency of the system is emphasised by the fact that each floor level is being completed in just five working days.

This speed of construction has only been made possible through PCE’s relentless pursuit of operational excellence at every stage of the HybriDfMA delivery process which has led the delivery team, with just 11 multi-skilled construction operatives, to continually refine and optimise the construction programme at an elemental level. Rigorous pre-planning of the works along with a strategy of moving many tasks that would traditionally be carried out on-site, to being completed  off-site at the system component manufacturing factories, allowed on-site construction assembly operations to be optimised and the originally planned 7 day construction cycle to be reduced to just 5 days. This achievement has resulted in PCE being able to release 12 bedrooms and all of the associated communal areas each week for Regal London to commence fit-out works.

Offsite engineered components

The construction cycle involves the assembly of 74 structural precast concrete components which includes:-

• 18 composite brick-faced sandwich panels
• 9 core walls
• 6 columns
• 4 stair flights
• 2 landings
• 35 prestressed solid flooring units.

Also assembled at each floor level are 10 structural composite steel/concrete Deltabeams,  with 8m³ of in-situ reinforced concrete tying the floor plate together. In addition, 12 bathroom pods and 15 pallets of plasterboard per floor are also lifted into place during the 5 day cycle. The number of crane lifts has also been reduced with loose reinforcement and palletised materials being delivered with the pre-cast concrete elements and safely lifted together. A significant key benefit of the hyTower® system is that the window frames and glazing are pre-installed off-site into the brick-faced sandwich panels and this, coupled with minimal other temporary weathering measures, ensures a virtually weather tight structure as soon as the assembly of the level is complete.

PCE’s Project Manager Craig Billyeald commented:

“This is a fantastic achievement considering the logistical constraints of the city centre site and the need for all components to be carefully co-ordinated and delivered on a pre-planned just in-time basis from 7 different manufacturing facilities spread throughout the British Isles and Europe.”