The new headquarters of the British Geological Survey is the first building in the UK to feature precast concrete planks on an exposed glulam frame.
Completed in January, the three-storey building, designed by Pick Everard and engineered by Ramboll UK, comprises two office wings linked by a curved atrium with a lightweight ETFE insulating and heat-retaining cushion façade.
At the outset a steel frame was considered for the principal structure, but the BGS opted for the timber-based design.
The Finnforest Merk glulam frame comprises perimeter and spine columns in a 7.5x6m grid, with the atrium using curved beams.
The timber supports Termodeck planks spanning 7.5m. These combine structural and mechanical ventilation function, with air distributed and cooled by passing through the hollow cores of the precast concrete sections.
Added stability is provided by braced bays of cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels from KLH of Austria which are mainly 140mm thick.
“The project showed that if you’re using Termodeck, you don’t have to use steel frame,” said Andreas Scharfe of Ramboll’s Cambridge office. “Glulam works and provides a better work environment and environmental solution.”
In total the building used 175m³ of glulam and 400m³ of CLT.
