Queen Mary University ITL

Case Study

Queen Mary University ITL

MILE END CAMPUS, EAST LONDON

A new Informatics Teaching Laboratory (ITL) has been created following a £25m extension, refurbishment and retrofit at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), designed by Purcell Architects. The ITL is the result of a transformation of the 1989 School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, with the expansion driven by demand to study Informatics, the science of the digital age.

The refurbishment adds two new floors and a new circulation core to modernise the existing 3-storey 1,545m2 building and increase the floor area to 2,760m2. The refurb creates 160 extra student workspaces, increasing student capacity to 450.

The 2-storey rooftop horizontal extension, built with a lightweight steel structure, is clad in bronze-finished aluminium cassette panels. The existing 3-storey concrete frame building is reclad in ‘earth tone’ Equitone panels, single panels one-storey high. Windows have been enlarged and replaced with high-performing thermal triple glazing.

The 5-storey vertical extension to the east is built as an aluminium-framed curtain wall with bronze feature fins to create a new circulation core. The curtain wall was engineered to accommodate movement between new and existing structures and the loading of the triple-glazing. The vertical extension is clad in grey beige (RAL 1091) Sotech XTR aluminium concave profiled panels, fluted to the eastern frontage.

The retrofit incorporates high insulation and airtightness; thermal triple glazing, high solar gain with feature fins shading in summer; air source heat pumps, mechanical ventilation heat recovery, solar panels and a green roof. QMUL has decarbonised the ITL’s heating, turning off its gas boilers and has achieved BREEAM Excellent.

Video: Air Solutions Group; Photos: Air Solutions & Ivo Tabandzhov

WILLMOTT DIXON

"A²O had a pivotal role in the success of this complex, multi-finish refurb, with challenging differential movement issues between old and new structures.

We valued A²O's collaboration on anomalies which arose as the existing structure was exposed.

A²O took a lot of care in delivering, storing and assembling the large curtain wall framing components and glazing sheets on the highly constrained London site, which was live throughout.

A²O achieved two 100% scores on Health & Safety. A2O's workmanship and their control protocols were very good.

Both the A²O design team and site team went the extra mile to deliver an impressive, modern, robust facade to upgrade the campus and a high-performance building envelope with drastically reduced energy bills."

Will Sym

Senior Site Manager

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Challenges

The ITL comprises multiple facade systems and a complex curtain wall on an almost complete rebuild.

Wrapping the outdated building in a new, high-performance facade raised the major challenge of deflection accommodation between old and new structures. The facade design also needed to accommodate the weight of the new triple glazing and the feature fins required for summer shade.

The Sotech XTR concave profile was proposed by A²O as a more robust alternative to the original terracotta spec. Overall the facade called for intense collaboration with fabricators.

Given the location, components of the installation had to meet SBD (Secured by Design) standards.

There was very little storage space for the curtain wall components and the site was live throughout.

H&S was an issue with working at height up to 5 storeys and installing the 5-storey curtain wall.

As work exposed the retained structure, on-site measurements were needed to optimise precision.

The Retofit had to achieve BREEAM Excellent, using a fabric-first approach with 270mm insulation, and requiring demanding levels of air tightness.

Solutions

A²O were engaged at Stage 4 design to help shape crucial logistics, technical & buildability decisions.

The deflection acommodation added to the live-load slab deflection exceeded the capability of a typical stick curtain wall system. Kawneer created an enhanced expansion joint to accommodates movement of up to +/-15mm. A²O divided the curtain wall into 5 separate screens for buildability.

Early engagement allowed a rolling start when supply chain appointments were concluded speeding up interface coordination and reducing design meeting time in the lead-up to start on site.

A²O installed a number of SBD doors, strengthening the building’s resistance to break-ins.

Despite the very limited storage space, the curtain wall was installed avoiding damage to the glazing.

A²O achieved a couple of 100% scores from the Heath & Safety consultant Havio.

The quality of A²O‘s workmanship scored highly on Willmott Dixon’s NQA inspections.

The facade exceeded PassivHaus U-Values; achieved 2.8m3/(h.m2) on airtightness and an EPC Energy Rating of A, with Asset Rating of only 8.

Fact File

Sector

STATUS

Value

Scope of Work

AA110 HI Curtain Wall, optimising natural light & solar gain and feature fins for summer shade
Aluminium Concave Planks, Sotech XTR
Fibre-cement Panels, Equitone Linea, L: G-3
Aluminium Cassette Panels, Level: 4-5
Aluminium Bracketry, recycle-grade by RJFS
Rainscreen Slab Insulation
Fire Barriers
SFS & Y-Wall Board
Bespoke Entrance Canopy, bronze aluminium
Bespoke Cappings & Flashings