TRA's Harlow supply trusses for Stephen George

Harlow Timber Systems has repeatedly offered a design service to Stephen George Partners to solve construction problems in a staff accommodation project for a Nottinghamshire hospital trust.

Harlow Timber Systems, a member of the Trussed Rafter Association (TRA), has worked with the leading architectural practice of Stephen George Partners a number of times to help overcome a variety of practical challenges in delivering different construction projects' which includes the two staff accommodation buildings for the hospital trust.

Stephen George Partners is active in the retail, commercial and private residential sectors as well as public buildings and has enjoyed a long-term working relationship with Harlow Timber Systems, a specialist in the manufacture of engineered timber products.

The latter involved the fabrication of a complex series of mono and stub trusses forming the hipped roofs to the two stepped level structures; together with fire rated spandrel panels running the length of the buildings as a continuation of the main party wall.

Harlow's technicians worked in close cooperation with the project architect for Stephen George, Mr Richard Rhodes, to ensure the components produced offered speed of erection as well as the load-carrying capability required, while also meeting the acoustic and fire engineering demands.

This dictated that the spandrels were factory-insulated with rock mineral fibre insulation and multiple layers of plasterboard to achieve 60 minutes of fire protection.

They were then fitted with special joist hangers to straddle the masonry compartment wall in such a manner that, should a fire destroy one side to either of the buildings, the vertical separation would remain intact.

Richard Rhodes recounts: "It was more cost effective to continue the fire break up into the roof than try and achieve it at ceiling level".

"Harlow Timber Systems offers us an exemplary service and it was quite an ingenious solution".

"The company has been able to help us on a number of occasions to facilitate the construction of unusually shaped roofs".

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