Hadley Steel Framing, part of the Hadley Group, has had its light gauge steel profiles installed in a nine-storey student accommodation in Exeter. The £40m development will provide accommodation for nearly 600 students.
As part of the broader build, the student accommodation has been designed to include a large retail and shopping area on its ground level. The space comes complete with a number of restaurants and bars, which add to the area's dynamic appeal.
Hadley Steel Framing provided a complete system, from conceptual design through to installation, using its pre-panelised, off-site bolted frame in conjunction with its concrete decking floor system.
As with any student accommodation, the build at Project Sofia required intense planning to ensure that timelines were upheld. The project team had to consider time efficiencies from the earliest stage of the development, which is one the primary reason that Hadley Steel Framing's light-gauge steel systems were selected for the job.
The flexible system could be delivered and installed easily on-site and was used for some of the accommodation's most critical components.
Hadley Steel Framing, part of the Hadley Group has had its light gauge steel profiles installed in a nine-storey student accommodation in Exeter. The £40m development will provide accommodation for nearly 600 students.
As part of the broader build, the student accommodation has been designed to include a large retail and shopping area on its ground level. The space comes complete with a number of restaurants and bars, which add to the area's dynamic appeal.
The build at Project Sofia broke ground in July 2017, with students scheduled to move into the accommodation from September 2019. It was essential that the Hadley Steel Framing team handed the project over in time, as the interiors still needed to be fitted out.
The use of Hadley Steel Framing's light gauge steel profiles helped the project team to complete the build in a timely manner, which ensured crucial deadlines were met. The flexible system could be delivered and installed easily on-site and was used for some of the accommodation's most critical components.
Hadley Steel Framing supplied pre-assembled panels, which could be simply erected on-site via the tower cranes. The products arrived on-site with all of the openings formed and metal support plates already in place. This allowed the façade trades to build on the structure immediately, which once again reduced the time needed for project completion.
Hadley Steel Framing supplied the main structural components of the external and internal wall panels, composite floor slabs, metal support plates for façade, metal stairs and the roof structure support framework.
The project also utilised a scaffold-less edge protection system, as well as the pre-fabricated steel frame stair units all designed and detailed in house. As well as delivering the project on-time, Hadley Steel Framing worked with the main contractor, Sir Robert McAlpine to ensure that the build met Passivhaus standards.
What's more, the frames were particularly useful for the installation of bathroom pods, which could be transferred by crane into position. These bathrooms pods were installed across each of the 599 bedrooms, saving a considerable amount of time for the contractor. Installing these modular units is far simpler than installing a standard bathroom.
The project reaffirms just what's possible when construction firms from across the supply-chain work collaboratively to overcome complex challenges. What's more, the development is testament to the time and logistic benefits that come from utilising more modern methods of construction, including offsite, proving once again that this form of construction can have widescale benefits if further embraced.
