A new-build development near Bradford comprising apartments, dementia flats and a community day centre has presented Pasquill with a challenging roof truss project, thanks to its complicated rooflines on seven different levels.
The 7,800 sq metre scheme has required the UK’s largest supplier of trussed rafters to work closely with the architects involved to develop a structural design solution that would comply with the latter’s stringent technical requirements. Many of the pitched roofs featured secret gutters in their centre whose levels had to be constant, all supported by a multitude of steel beams. Some roof pitches had to be amended to ensure roof heights did not obscure windows. In addition, the varying levels of eaves also had to be carefully accommodated.
While the products manufactured at Pasquill’s Chorley branch took the form of relatively standard trusses, it was nevertheless a project that required an extremely high level of collaboration between Pasquill and the scheme’s design team in order to solve the correct geometry of the roofscape. With its numerous pitches and bearing heights, it was crucial to ensure that fascia and soffit were correctly positioned. During the course of the design collaboration process, Pasquill attended three site meetings in order to optimise its service offering.
Commenting on the project, Stuart Peter of Brewster Bye Architects said: “Pasquill’s design team has been extremely helpful in enabling the optimum roof truss configurations to be generated for each part of the scheme.”
Commenting on its work with the project’s contractor, Bardsley Construction, Andrew Rawlinson, Pasquill’s Area Sales Manager, said: “This project is unique in that it is not a typical project or design that we are involved in on a day-to-day basis. It is more unusual than any standard project. Bardsley Construction is a company that I have personally dealt with for 12 years, and have built trust and a good trading relationship with. Pasquill’s emphasis on close collaboration with customers, from sales and design through to operations and manufacturing is what differentiates us from other companies in this sector.”
The scheme featured a number of concrete retaining wall structures to accommodate numerous sloping site levels. The external envelope of the traditional-style building has predominately pitched-faced cast stone and render with aluminium and composite window and curtain walling. The development provides communal facilities for its residents, all in a modern living environment. The scheme includes 47 self-contained residential apartments, 30 individual rooms for dementia care, and a two-level day care centre open to older people living locally. There is also extensive landscaping including secure sensory gardens and roof terraces for residents and visitors. Designed to achieve the highest levels of efficiency, the development utilises renewable technology and sustainable systems such as solar panels, green roofs and an environmentally-friendly drainage system.
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