With flat slab construction preventing any risk of punching failure is critical; and conventional solutions involving increased loads in the stress areas bring their own particular challenges. The widely used and trusted Schöck Bole shear rail system offers a cost-effective, easy-to-install solution that is up to ten times faster to install than traditional loose links.
Sitting adjacent to Manchester Victoria station, the £185m New Victoria mixed development is a two-phase scheme which will initially provide two residential towers of 20 and 25 storeys comprising 520 one, two and three bed apartments. An eight-storey, 150,000ft² office block is scheduled for the second phase. The residential first phase will deliver some of the best amenity space in the region, including a state-of-the-art gym, communal lounges and a rooftop garden. The residential structures are solid in appearance, with the depth and quality of the facades taking their cues from the surrounding historic listed estate along Corporation Street. The façades profiled panels run at regular intervals from top to bottom giving the buildings a clear vertical expression. The panels also extend and wrap around the top of the buildings, providing shelter for the rooftops terraces. The layout of the two structures has been driven by a need to maximise the number of apartments with dual aspect views. As a result there is one central core with three wings of accommodation. The concept for the façade is a ‘hooped envelope around a glass box’ with the ‘envelope’ consisting of vertical panels from the first floor to the roof level in a mix of profiled and flat, matt finished panels.
Punching failure risk is a critical issue
The buildings are concrete frame, constructed using a slip-form method. An economical form of construction with many benefits, such as shuttering time minimisation, simplification of reinforcement work, ease of underslab work and importantly, the optimum use of space. However, with flat slab construction the risk of punching failure is always a critical issue. When increasing the loads in the stress areas, a great deal of consideration has to be given to variables such as the quality of the concrete itself, improving the reinforcement content and even enlarging the column heads. None of these options is necessarily time efficient or cost effective. They rarely solve the problem to an optimal performance level either. So the ideal solution to resolving any potential problems involving punching shear, needs to be cost-effective, easy and fast to install – and certainly dependable.
Schöck Bole up to ten times faster
The Schöck Bole shear rail system has been incorporated to prevent any such risk – and enable cost-effective installation that is up to ten times faster than traditional loose links. The dramatically reduced fixing time far outweighs any additional material costs that may be involved with a prefabricated system. Also, when compared with a typical stirrup reinforcement system, an increased shear force resistance of around 70% is achievable with the Schöck Bole. It is a widely trusted and popular solution consisting of double-headed studs and anchors, with spacing bars, which enable installation after the bottom reinforcement and before the top layer. Two spacer bars are welded to the vertical studs, which ensure the correct distance between uprights. The forged stud heads guarantee a perfect finishing bond with the concrete.
Other variants in the range
In addition to the standard Bole solution, Schöck has developed two other punching shear reinforcement variants. The type U, designed for installation before the lower mat and type O for installation after the top reinforcement layer. All products in the range are supplied ready for installation. There is downloadable user-friendly Schöck design software available too, which enables fast and simple dimensioning of the product to British Standards and the export of CAD drawings with dxf-format.
For further information on the Schöck Bole system contact the company on 01865 290 890 or visit www.schoeck.co.uk