Tobacco Dock, 6 by Michael Courtney and Richard Matthews

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Tobacco Dock, 6 by Michael Courtney and Richard Matthews THE ARUP JOURNAL AUTUMN 1988 Vol.23 No.3 Autumn 1988 Contents Published by Ove Arup Partnership THEARUP 13 Fitzroy Street, London Wl P 680 Editor· David Brown JOURNAL Art Editor: Desmond Wyeth FCSD Progress at the British Library, 2 by Peter Ryalls and Tony Stevens Tobacco Dock, 6 by Michael Courtney and Richard Matthews Flue gas desulphurization study, 12 by Malcolm Nayee, Paul Johnson and Charles Milloy Glasgow Garden Festival: 14 Maritime Area and Pavilions, by Alistair Smith Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, 17 by Robert Pugh Front cover: Vaults at Tobacco Dock (Photo: Richard Matthews) Back cover: The British Library under construction, August 1988 (Photo: Peter Mackinven) Tests to explore the feasibility of forming pile The heights and forms of the roofscape of the Progress at the underreams in the Woolwich and Reading Rare Books Reading Rooms were informed Beds were undertaken early in 19793. But by light angles to Levita House, a block of British Library the preliminary contract for secant pile walls, council dwellings. The architects have piling and some excavation did not begin planned the closed access Reading Rooms Architect: until April 1982. Substantive work on Phase to be interconnected level by level and Colin St. John Wilson & Partners 1AA began in July 1984. illuminated from above by clerestory and skylights. Planning objectives Peter Ryalls The departments of the British Museum The height and bulk of the buildings of the Library to be transferred to the British Library British Library, especially the Science Refer­ Tony Stevens at Euston comprise: ence Library, are governed by planning con­ ditions dictated in part by the presence of St. Preamble The Department of Printed Books Pancras Station, a listed building. For this The last of three articles about the British The Department of Manuscripts reason it was necessary to locate the book Library was published in The Arup Journal stores and plantrooms below ground. nine years ago1,2,3. Readers who have been The Department of Oriental Manuscripts and patiently awaiting further intelligence will be Printed Books. The site and its environs brought up-to-date by the following . The Science Reference Library, currently The sequence of soils over the site is : History located in Holborn, is also to be accom­ (a) 2-3m fill from ground level, 20m OD The British Library Act of 1972 established modated at Euston. (b) London Clay down to - 2m OD a national library for the United Kingdom Accordingly, facilities are planned for: (c) Woolwich and Reading Beds which incorporated the library of the British down to - 20m OD Museum. Even before that date a new Closed access Reading Rooms building had been planned for a location for Rare Books (d) Thanet Sands down to - 25m OD (e) Chalk. opposite the Museum, on the west side of Open access Reading Rooms with direct Bloomsbury Square. reference to the books and documents of The water table perched above the clay gives Early in 1975 that scheme was abandoned the Science Reference Library roughly half hydrostatic pressure that falls to in favour of a site in Euston Road by St. Pan­ The book stores; and book retrieval and cras Station. The architects, Colin St. John distribution systems Wilson & Partners, prepared a feasibility study with contributions from a design team Accommodation for exhibitions, both consisting of Steensen Varming Mulcahy & temporary and permanent Partners, Davis Belfield & Everest (as they Administrative offices then were) and Arups. The report published in June 1975 was favourable and the Govern­ Catalogue and reference areas ment authorized design development. Mr. Plantrooms and technical services. Fred Mulley, then the Secretary of State for Education and Science, committed the To meet these requirements accommodation Government to a start in 1979-80 'if econo­ in Phase 1A is provided in four zones: mic conditions at that time permit'. (1) The Rare Books Reading Rooms, loca­ In the two years that followed, the architects ted over the Exhibition Halls, are arranged in collaboration with Officers of the British to the west along Ossulston Street. Library, drew up a brief and developed their (2) The Open access reading rooms of the proposals. The final design report of Science Reference Library and the Meeting November 1977 was the basis for detailed and Lecture Halls lie along Midland Road . development of Phase 1A, part of the first (3) The Entrance Hall is located between and largest phase of construction . the Rare Books Reading Rooms and the In March 1978 the Secretary of State for Science Reference Library, behind an exten­ Education and Science, by now Shirley sive forecourt, the purpose of which is to preserve views of St. Pancras Station from Williams, repeated the Labour Govern­ The original Phases: ment's intention to start building work on the Euston Road . Rare Books to the left, Science Library in 1979-80, and instructions to pro- (4) Lastly, the basements accommodate the Reference Library (SAL) to the right 2 ceed were given. book stores and plantrooms. zero in the Thanet Sands. The water table in the site. The method and sequence of con­ temporarily during construction by ground the chalk is at - 50m OD , where the water struction was therefore designed to limit anchors until they could be propped in the regime has been determined largely by such movements to acceptable levels. permanent works by basement floor slabs. historic under-pumping, now proceeding at Deep basements, five levels below ground to The basements, 25m deep in the south area a decreasing rate. the south of the site, have been built in top­ and totalling in volume about 300,000m3 Two pairs of Underground tunnels cross the down construction for reasons of economy (the largest non-military in the UK), are site from east to west under Phase 1 - the and to control movements in the ground. important to the Library project, not only to Northern and Victoria Lines. The presence Augered piles 1.Bm i;, diameter, with en­ accommodate the book stores and plant­ and level of the Victoria Line tunnels at the larged bases, 4.4m diameter, are founded at rooms, but because of the potentially north end of Phase 1A limits the number of - 1Bm level in the clayey strata of the Wool­ adverse effect of their construction on adja­ basements to two. The Metropolitan and wich and Reading Beds. Surrounding retain­ cent and existing buildings and structures. Circle Line tunnels lie under Euston Road at ing walls are formed in secant piling. Earlier reports, described the arrangement the south end of the site. The basement floors need to be sufficiently and construction method for the basements Many buildings are close by. Levita House stiff to support the good operation of the in principle but implementation lay ahead. lies across Ossulston Street to the west. St. mobile book-stacks and sufficiently strong to Today the construction of the basement is Pancras Station is immediately to the east of resist the thrust from retaining walls trans­ behind us, as a consequence of gaining four Midland Road. Several important buildings ferred north/south and east/west between important objectives: including St. Pancras Town Hall stand on the opposing faces. Therefore the floors are re­ Firstly, design intentions have been suc­ south side of the Euston Road . inforced concrete 400mm thick on a grid of cessfully developed, justified and embodied The presence and proximity of buildings and columns 7.Bm square with column heads in construction drawings, specifications and tunnels has been an important factor in the 3.9m square, 800mm deep overall. contract documents. design of foundations and substructure. Grade 50 Universal Steel columns of section Secondly, Arup predictions of behaviour, The building 356mm x 406mm, installed as part of the top­ specifically movements, of the Library itself Substructure down sequence, are cased in concrete for and of the surrounding ground and adjacent Basements for Phase 1A are of two types, fire-resistance and to increase their \oad­ buildings and structures have been vindi­ each with an appropriate method of con­ bearing capacity. cated in performance as verified by system­ struction determined by its form . Basements in the central area at the north atic surveys and monitoring. It was recognized that the removal of clay soil of Phase 1A are limited to two levels to clear T-hirdly , the basement works have been con­ to form the foundations and basements of the the Victoria Line tunnels below. The founda­ structed to completion within time and Library would induce movements in the tions are necessarily reinforced concrete budget and in accordance with contract and ground that would affect both the London rafts (piles would foul the tunnels). Perimeter design intentions. Underground tunnels and buildings close to secant pile retaining walls were held up Fourthly, to date there has been no claim for damage or loss of operation in any building Phase 1A structure: SAL half completed or structure potentially affected by the con­ struction of the Library basements. Superstructure The form and geometry of the elements of the superstructure, required by planning, favoured the choice of reinforced concrete. But to limit the size of certain critical columns, Universal section Steel Columns are continued above ground level. The floors of the Rare Books Reading Rooms and the offices of the Science Reference Library are supported by conventional re­ inforced concrete coffered slabs of overall thickness 400mm. Reinforced concrete walls of the stair and lift shafts stabilize the building, separated in phases of construction by expansion joints that exist only above ground floor. More height is needed in the spaces for exhibitions under the Rare Books Reading Rooms to the west, where the 7.Bm square grid is carried through.
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