Engineering the vertical extension was a critical aspect of the design as it poses some technical challenges with its circa 40m clear oversail across the top of the existing building. The primary support columns are located at the ends of the existing building and have been designed and detailed to avoid carrying out internal structural work and minimise internal disruptions. Empace have been working closely with Yeme Architects to realise the architectural vision.

Key to solving some of the structural design challenges was the use of advance structural analysis software such as Tekla and IdeaStatica which allowed us to predict and channel the forces through the building safely down to the foundations without compromising on the architectural design.

The intended finished product can be seen in the main image (courtesy  Yeme Architects) along with a ‘before’ image and some render images of the steelwork skeleton supporting the building.