Metsec curves shape roofscape in Brighton

Construction steel section specialist Metsec is helping to add the shape of rolling waves to the skyline of Brighton with a striking new residential development in the resort's Kemp Town district.

Hanover's Patching Lodge is a GBP10 million retirement property development which will provide 76 flats for older people who require extra care.

Located over seven floors, and with ground-floor facilities, it will include a healthy living centre, restaurant, hairdresser, coffee bar, and shop.

Since their revision in 2004, Brighton and Hove City Council planning regulations have placed great emphasis on the visual impact of tall buildings, defined as those over 18m high, equivalent to around six storeys.

In response, architects Archadia came up with a solution for the roof of Patching Lodge which is both original and eye-catching.

Design and build contractor, Feltham Construction, went to Metsec for three different offsite construction solutions which reduced the complexity and timescale of onsite operations.

The complex curves of the roof 'waves' are supported by a series of specially-designed, factory-fabricated lattice beams.

The top chords of these beams have been uniquely shaped to create concave and convex curves for the roof structure.

In total, Metsec supplied 28 trusses for the three blocks which make up the development - the longest single span is 14.9m.

Metsec lattice beams are lightweight, easy to handle and can span up to 40m, whilst the open web configuration allows for the straightforward routing of services.

They also use up to 50% less steel than traditional hot rolled beams, which means that recent huge increases in raw material prices have had less impact on the total cost.

In addition to the lattice beams and related purlins, Metsec also supplied its unique Site Fixed framing System (SFS) for infill walling throughout the building.

On the top storey SFS forms a structural framework which supports the lattice beams and the building's curved roof.

SFS is factory produced from lightweight, cold rolled galvanised steel sections which are cut to length, bar-coded and 'bundled' offsite ready to be simply screwed together on site ready to receive interior and exterior cladding or glazing panels.

SFS is ideal for projects where fast-track speed of construction and / or a lightweight frame is required, or where masonry blockwork is too slow or too heavy for the building frame.

Metsec's technical teams assist with detailing stud size, spacing and anchorage which are all determined by floor-to-floor heights, deflection criteria and lateral wind pressures.

Patching Lodge is the first building to be completed in Brighton's 'tall buildings corridor' in line with a new city planning policy that has been applauded by the Government as a good example of progressive planning.

Metsec's Marketing Manager Andrew Gill commented, "We manufacture purlins, lattice beams or infill panel frames for hundreds of specialist projects every year, but it's not often that we act as a one-stop-shop across several of our divisions".

"The contractors, and the design parameters for Patching Lodge set us a real challenge, not only to make the unique design possible, but also to coordinate production from three of our manufacturing lines to suit the project's demanding schedule on site".

Metsec plc is the UK's largest specialist steel cold roll-forming company, providing solutions for the UK construction and manufacturing industries.

In May this year, The Sunday Times included Metsec in its "Green List", a roster of the UK's 50 best green companies, and positioned Metsec as the highest ranking manufacturer in the Midlands for its sustainability practices.

Metsec is the first cold rolled steel manufacturer to be awarded the prestigious gold standard under the Steel Construction Sustainability Charter drawn up by the BCSA.

The Charter aims to develop steel as a sustainable form of construction in terms of economic viability, social progress and environmental responsibility.

Established for over 75 years, Metsec plc is owned by the voestalpine group, one of Europe's leading specialist engineering companies and the world's largest manufacturer of cold roll-formed sections with a global network in the UK, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, USA, Russia and France producing in excess of 800,000 tonnes per annum.

Hanover is a leading provider of affordable retirement property, with a range of support services, for older people to rent or buy.

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