Tetley Brewery Aire Park Development

Aire Park in Leeds is the largest new city centre park in the UK.

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Client

Vastint UK

Location

Leeds, UK

Services

Modern Methods of Construction (MMC)

Sector

Design and Construction

2 min read

Made up of a series of interconnected public spaces stretching across eight acres, the development is located on reclaimed roadway from Meadow Lane and the redevelopment of the former Tetley Brewery site.

Developer Vastint UK commissioned BIM Academy’s sister company, Ryder Architecture to support its work on the MU3a five acre plot of Aire Park, that will house a series of mixed use buildings for retail and commercial space. This part of the wider project will see two separate buildings arranged around a central atrium, with ground floor retail units and serviced offices above.

BIM Academy acted as modern methods of construction (MMC) advisor on the project, with MMC playing a significant role in the design and build of this part of the development with the use of precast concrete panels for walls and floors.

The precast concrete walls provide lateral stability to the structure, with the floor slabs acting as horizontal diaphragms that transfer lateral loads to the structural cores. A concrete corbel was cast into the inner leaf of the façade panels, providing a bearing for the precast concrete floor planks. This extensive use of MMC has resulted in approximately 85% of the external fabric being formed offsite.

The use of the precast system required the design to be fully coordinated prior to manufacture. This ensured that all design issues were fully resolved before works were commenced on site, therefore speeding up programme delivery, enabling a quicker erection of the building fabric and minimising construction waste. Additional benefits included fewer on site vehicle movements reducing emissions and disruption to local area.

The use of MMC on this project meant that by manufacturing the panels under controlled conditions the client was able to increase quality of product and reduced the amount of on site works required compared to a traditional solution. Resulting in significant time and cost savings.

Pre manufactured value calculation

BIM Academy offers its MMC Advisory Role to all clients. We can assist you in understanding the current level of MMC adoption (pre manufactured value), identifying opportunities to adopt MMC principles and creating an MMC strategy for your current and future projects.