What a Manchester Structural Christmas cracker this one is, as voted for by our Manchester Studio team. Often known as the ‘jewel in the basin’, Piccadilly Basin that is, Burlington House sits tall and proud amongst its neighbours, which includes our Manchester studio at Carvers Warehouse. Our engineers are never ones to shy away from an engineering challenge and the constrained site and spectacular cantilever certainly provided our team with something to think about. 

Working alongside Town Centre Securities, GMI Construction, Max Fordham and with architects Simpson Haugh, this exciting 11 storey residential development is made up of 3 main blocks, twisting on plan as the building increases with height. The rotation results in the upper two tiers cantilevering out over one another up to 9m from supports, providing striking architectural form.

As structural engineers, we needed to think differently about the design process for this project and look at how structural materials could be used differently. We achieved the challenging form with an in-situ concrete framed structure and we incorporated a number of deep cantilevered reinforced concrete sheer walls at high levels (spanning over a depth of 2 – 3 storeys) in order to support the large areas of cantilevered floors. This meant complex temporary works had to be designed and incorporated throughout the works. 

With the building surrounded by a canal, highway and a Grade II listed building, it completed the enclosure of the Piccadilly Marina and the constrained site meant close consultation was required with English Heritage and the Canal and Rivers Trust.