FP MCCANN ON PAR WITH SUPPLY OF ‘L’ WALLS AND LIFT SHAFTS TO NEW GLASGOW GOLF CENTRE
Project: Top Golf Glasgow
Client: Ashfield Land
Luddon Construction: Luddon Construction
Product Supplied: Precast concrete ‘L’ Wall system; Modular Precast Lift Shafts
FP McCann has supplied its precast concrete ‘L’ Wall earth retention system and modular lift shafts to a brand new ‘Topgolf’ sport and leisure facility in Glasgow. The £18.5 million centre adjacent to junction 2 of the M74 motorway was completed in December 2022 by Luddon Construction on behalf of client Ashfield Land. The state-of-the-art three-storey driving range complete with bars and restaurants is the first of its kind in Scotland.
With changes in elevation across the site from the car park to the first-floor entrance, the project involved substantial earthworks. Following a review of the various in-situ wall options, Will Rudd Davidson, Structural and Civil Engineers working in conjunction with Luddon Construction and in consultation with FP McCann’s design and engineering team, opted for the off-site manufactured precast concrete ‘L’ Wall system. The precast concrete wall acts as a soil retention barrier and once fixed into position on a concrete foundation slab, earth is backed up against the ‘L Walls’ as part of the raised ground levelling work.
This ‘L’ wall method of earth retention/boundary formation is a simple, fast process and eliminates the need for conventional brickwork or shuttering, steel foundation formwork and the pouring of wet concrete. An additional benefit of the ‘L’ Wall system is that no propping is required during construction.
On securing the order, FP McCann supplied ‘L’ Wall sizes 1.0m; 1.5m; 3.0m and 4.5metres high, the majority being 1.5 metres in height. All units were delivered from the Company’s Uddingston factory in south Lanarkshire.
To complete the finish, a natural stone slip was applied to the outer faces of the ‘L’Wall units, by a specialist sub-contractor working on behalf of Luddon Construction. This process can be either undertaken on site or at the factory, where FP McCann can apply a range of brick slip or stencilled finishes to architectural specifications.
Prior to the construction of the steel frame skeleton structure, two single door three-level FP McCann modular precast lift shafts were installed by the Luddon team totalling 77 tonnes. Components and features in the box section lift shafts include pre-formed door openings, a smooth internal finish and cast in fixing channels. The lift shaft sections were delivered from Uddingston and craned into position in a single lift.
Commenting on the FP McCann earth retaining ‘L’ Walls and lift shafts in place, Andrew Given Senior Project Manager for Luddon Construction says, “The precast concrete ‘L’ Wall system is a simple, speedy and cost-efficient means of creating an earth retaining wall, which allowed us to then work confidently with the elevation changes on this site. Additionally in the case of this project, the facing of the ‘L’ Wall units with the aesthetically pleasing stone slips is of major importance to the finished building. Regarding the three-storey lift shafts, to build such structures using steel formwork and pouring of wet concrete would have taken days allowing for curing between each level. Use of the ‘L’ Walls and modular lift shafts on the Topgolf build, clearly demonstrated the flexibility and practicality of such off-site manufactured precast concrete products.”
For further information on FP McCann’s walling solutions , contact JAMES HODGSON 07753 415817 | sales@fpmccann.co.uk
