FP MCCANN OFFSITE PRECAST CONCRETE CROSS-WALL AND ARCHITECTURAL CLADDING SYSTEM SPECIFIED ON BIRMINGHAM RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT

Project: New Residential Apartment Building – Jewellery Quarter Birmingham

Client: Prosperity Wealth

Construction Management: Prosperity Develop

Structural/Civil Engineering Consultant: BWB

Structural/Architectural Build: FP McCann

Products Supplied: Precast Concrete Core and Party Walls; Precast Hollowcore Planks; Lift and Stair Cores; Stair Landings; Precast Columns and Beams; “Traditional English Red” and “Ketley Blue” Architectural Sandwich Panels

FP McCann has recently completed a precast concrete structural and architectural supply and install project for Birmingham based residential property developer, Prosperity Group. The £35 million JQ Rise development consists of 226 modern apartments in Birmingham’s famous Jewellery Quarter.

Encompassing three blocks of four, eight and 25 storeys, the building is a landmark feature retaining a facing red brick aspect, a typical characteristic of the immediate surrounding urban environment.

Adopting Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), the structural precast concrete internal cross-wall design and external architectural sandwich panel cladding system has been manufactured offsite and installed by FP McCann, a Tier 2 BIM Level 2 certified supplier. As on all such contracts undertaken by FP McCann, BIM Execution Plans (BEP) were prepared for the Prosperity JQ Rise development, demonstrating FP McCann’s proposed approach, capabilities, capacity and competence to meet stringent Employer’s Information Requirements (EIR).

The FP McCann precast structural solution comprises precast concrete core and party walls, prestressed hollowcore flooring planks, lift cores, precast stair cores and stair landings. Integral to the structural design are the architectural brick-faced insulated sandwich panels offering an attractive red and blue/grey external finish to the building on all levels. Precast concrete columns and beams have been installed at the ground floor level to carry the walls above. Internal structural walls range from 180mm to 300mm, with hollowcore flooring typically 250mm thick. The external architectural wall panel’s inner structural leaf is generally 180mm thick with a 50mm depth “Traditional English Red” and “Ketley Blue” brick facing backed by 80mm of concrete and insulation to achieve the required u-values.

An additional design feature of the architectural cladding panels is the red dogtooth brickwork projection, flush with the external face of the sandwich panel.

Many other MMC features include brick slips on column sides and front faces, soffits on beams, and the fair face finish on internal walls, allowing follow-on trades to complete their work in a timely and efficient manner. The accelerated construction time typically seen in such offsite precast concrete structural builds saw the JQ Rise project completed in just 56 weeks.

Commenting on the JQ Rise residential development, Project Manager Anthony Grant for Prosperity Group says, “Reducing construction times by 40%-60% compared to traditional build methods must be factored into addressing such residential developments on brownfield urban locations. Traditional construction methods, while tried and tested, are increasingly inadequate to meet the soaring demand for quality, affordable housing. The JQ Rise housing project clearly demonstrates that offsite construction and MMC in urban locations help address the current housing challenge and lay the groundwork for a more efficient and sustainable home-building sector. By embracing these methods, we can build faster, reduce our environmental impact and provide quality, affordable living space.”

Mark McCann, Director at FP McCann, adds, “We’ve been delighted to partner with Prosperity Group on this excellent project. It is a great showpiece scheme right in the centre of Birmingham, one with unique features that help elevate the value JQ Rise creates for the city and local area.”