CLT Winner at Warwick

The Oculus provides the University of Warwick with a new BREEAM Excellent flagship building with an impressive glulam timber roof and curved three storey glass façade, making it instantly recognisable, reducing embodied carbon and improving sustainability.

Close to the social heart of the campus, the 4,750sqm building contains two large lecture theatres, 12 seminar rooms, flexible social learning spaces and a café. The 250 seat theatre is nested beneath a larger upper theatre – now the largest on campus at 500 seats – open to the underside of the timber roof.
The Oculus achieved BREEAM Excellent and EPC A ratings, largely due to the use of low carbon glulam timber for the main roof, natural light and ventilation bolstered by a roof mounted PV installation, connection to the campus wide combined heat and power (CHP) district heating and power system, and use of heat recovery ventilation systems for the conditioned spaces, which also used air source heat pumps with adiabatic cooling. To maximise the benefits of these systems the performance of the building fabric was first optimised in terms of thermal performance and airtightness.

Timber was chosen for the central feature roof in part, as a response to the client brief, which called for a warmer palette of natural materials to mark a new direction in the development of the campus, but also as an expressive and sustainable structural material.  The use of a low carbon, sustainable and beautiful material for the main feature of the building echoes the wider ambition for the building as a whole and its role as the first step in a new wave of campus regeneration. The choice of timber also helped fulfill the acoustic requirements of the roof, with the CLT deck providing good sound insulation from break-in noise, whilst the exposed glulam structure beneath assisted with breaking down internal reflections to manage the reverberation times within the lecture theatre.

The use of CLT for the main deck of the roof provided significant benefits as it made a positive contribution to both the overall thermal resistance of the roof – allowing a lower thickness of insulation than for a say a profiled metal deck – and to the airtightness of the building. Each of the 1200mm wide CLT ‘planks’ spanning up to 6.6 metres between the main arches to make up the deck had longitudinal edges rebated for the insertion of marine ply ‘tongues’ with air seal tapes across each joint. The CLT deck provided an excellent working platform for the subsequent installation of a robust VC/airtight layer and the support rails and stools for the aluminium roof covering – increasing the quality of the workmanship and aiding the ease of inspection for these critical items.

The design of the timber roof structure allowed for both speedy and safe construction and a long-life maintenance-free end result. The primary arches were delivered to site direct from Binderholz in Austria in two sections (three for the longer more inclined Spruce arches forming the verges of the roof) which were spliced together and had sections of the multi-part galvanised steel node assemblies inserted in each end whilst laying on their sides at ground level before being craned into position as single 34 metre span elements. The timber is expected to simply improve over time as its natural colour intensifies with age. 

This project was delivered via a Scape framework where the main contractor, Willmott Dixon Construction (WDC), provided the University with a ‘turnkey’ service from the very outset. As such the design and contractor teams worked unusually closely in this case. The initial concept had been for a timber gridshell, but it quickly became apparent, through early analysis carried out by specialist subcontractors with whom WDC had worked on previous schemes that the horizontal thrust from the relatively shallow curvature of the roof would impose unreasonable loads into the steel frames of the teaching wings. 
By this stage the University had bought into the visual appearance of the gridshell, and the layout of the building beneath had been aligned with key diagonals, so the design and specialist contract teams worked together to develop the final built solution to resolve the structural issues whilst staying close to the original concept. The design team were able to keep the University project board (and senior management team) regularly updated with the development of the design for the roof, supported by clear empirical data from the subcontractor’s design engineers – ensuring that the client understood, and was bought into this development. A good example of the ‘no surprises’ approach instilled by the operation of the NEC 3 form of contract used for the project.

Since opening for the start of the 2017/18 academic year the new building has been extremely well received by staff and students alike. The Vice President of the University, Professor Lawrence Young said: “This was the first time the University of Warwick has built a standalone teaching and learning space, and we wanted an architecturally outstanding building that symbolises our commitment to the student experience. The building has exceeded our expectations and has already become the main feature of our central campus.” 

For more information visit: www.bgsarchitects.co.uk

Original Link: ST MAG Winter Issue

Solid Wood Solutions 05 July 2018 - Oculus, Warwick University

Six years on since the first event, Solid Wood Solutions is back by popular demand!. The event will reflect the swift upward trajectory that materials such as cross laminated timber (CLT) are now on as a sustainable, structural alternative to steel and concrete.

Solid Wood Solutions will shine a spotlight on pioneering projects through informative case studies presented by those who conceived and developed the buildings that are gaining global attention. This event presents a great opportunity to gain insight and network with those who are shaping the future of the engineered timber industry.

As engineered timber technology is one of the fastest growing offsite methods of construction, this event is designed to inspire through innovation. The event will consist of a bespoke exhibition of circa 25-30 companies from within the CLT, LVL and glulam technology sectors, plus complementary solutions such as SIPS and cladding/fenestration solutions with a conference of approximately 200 delegates.

 Book:

 Tickets to attend Solid Wood Solutions cost just £125 + VAT and include refreshments and lunch.

To book click here 

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