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Woodlands, Canford Cliffs ¨C Engineering Design

A residential UK developer, Lifestory Group, wanted to transform a complex former brownfield site with protected trees into luxury, four-story, later living apartments. Protected trees within the boundary of the site presented another challenge, meaning space was at a premium for the buildings works. They appointed us to help.

We delivered multidisciplinary engineering design services with engineering solutions that achieved the architect¡¯s vision. Our structural engineers chose a concrete frame building to limit on-site storage required during the build¡ªthe footprint of the building covers almost the entire site. To reduce on-site works while maintaining the look and feel of traditional brick, we used brick slip panels which were constructed off-site and installed straight onto the building frame. This also resulted in a more efficient build program as the building was watertight before the installation of the panels and the fitting out of the interior spaces could begin.

With required root protection for the protected trees and limited space in the tight site, the architectural design of the building was more than a simple four-sided building¡ªmultiple different sides and angles also made the roof multi-sided. To address the geometrically complex design, we designed the main roof using steelwork and wood to achieve the required roof profile. Complex steelwork was also required for the balconies. Due to the outline of the building, we also incorporated roof lanterns over the patio doors of the top floor apartments accommodating the angles and allowing maximum light into the living rooms.

With this flagship first project, Lifestory offers a luxury retirement lifestyle with a building that delivers both light and spaciousness, and blends into the landscape with wellbeing benefits from surrounding woodlands.?