It’s not often that contractors completely invent a new method of building high rises. We’ve certainly seen some very interesting methods in recent projects, such as the “top-down” method that allows the sub and super-structure to be built at the same time, but a contractor in London has a new way to shave time off of the construction schedule of a high rise building.
The Mace Group, which has hubs in Europe, Middle East and North Africa, North America, Sub‑Saharan Africa and Asia Pacific, recently turned over a project in London that featured rising pre-fabrication factories that sat atop two of the company’s under-construction residential towers.
According to Building Design + Construction (BD+C), the factories measured 115 feet wide by 134 feet long by 108 feet high and weighed approximately 510 tons. The factory is able to “jump” as floors are completed, maintaining the same height as the building progresses.
According to Mace, the waterproof factories allowed each floor to be built in just 55 hours, averaging about 1 floor per week. In that time, contractors were able to install precast perimeter columns, twin walls, ventilation, drainage, MEP service modules, and modular bathroom and utility pods.
3 floors down from the factory, cladding is installed, followed by interior fit out. In this particular project, fit out and furnishing was completed on a floor 19 stories below the deck height at the time.
BD+C reported that the project was “cost neutral,” but it did reduce site waste by 75% through the use of prefabrication, as 98% of the project’s infrastructure was built offsite.
For more information about the project, check out Mace’s video below:
