Steel Is Good for Guinness
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Industrial Steel is good for Guinness The famous Guinness Brewery in Dublin is investing in new high-tech facilities housed inside a large steel framed structure. Glasses were raised to steel’s speed and flexibility. The steel mezzanine level has holes through which brewing vessels will protrude FACT FILE nquisitive beer drinkers will be interested operations had to carry on 24 hours a new brewhouse to the existing brewery. Guinness, Dublin, New to know that every pint of Guinness day, seven days a week in parallel with the Getting the new facilities up and running Brewhouse sold throughout Europe and the USA construction works. as well as fully integrated into the overall Main client: Diageo currently originates in Dublin. For more Main contractor John Sisk & Son brewing operation is vitally important to the Ithan 250 years the famous stout beer has (Holdings) has had to employ a full time client. Architect: RKD Architects been brewed in the city and is an Irish icon. logistics manager to ensure a smooth and Speed of construction was consequently Main contractor: To guarantee its long term future, seamless coexistence, as the construction site one of the main drivers for choosing a steel John Sisk & Son consolidate some of the company’s other is adjacent to many operational buildings. solution for the project’s buildings. (Holdings) products and rejuvenate the historic St. The full scope of works includes a large “Steel offered the quickest solution,” Structural engineer: James’s Gate Brewery, the facility is in the portal framed brewhouse with an attached says Thomas Lynch, Sisk Site Engineer, Arup midst of a multi-million Euro investment two-storey structure providing office and commenting on the choice of framing Steelwork contractor: programme which will result in the production support. The brewhouse is linked material. Kiernan Structural Steel construction of a new brewhouse and grain to a new six-storey braced grain intake and The brewhouse part of the job consists Steel tonnage: 1,500t intake building. materials handling facility which is also of of a large portal frame approximately 100m Enlarging one of the world’s most famous steelwork construction. The project also long, 13m high with a 36m internal span breweries brings with it a host of unique includes significant steel piperacks and and perimeter columns spaced a 6m centres. challenges, not least that existing brewing associated equipment bridges linking the Inside there is a large mezzanine level that NSC 26 Sept/Oct 13 Industrial Erecting steel in a confined site surrounded by an operating brewery has been a challenge Lifting Bridges he new facilities are being built on land formerly used as a keg storage yard. This is close to many operational The construction site parts of the brewery including some very busy internal was formerly a storage T yard for the brewery access roads. Some of the larger lifting procedures, such as the installation of steel bridges, have required these roads to allows access to beer production vessels, when the design was at quite an advanced be temporarily closed or rerouted. the largest of which is 14m in diameter. The stage and necessitated redesign of the portal Kiernan Structural Steel has erected a number of pipe vessels are generally supported on piled frame members just prior to material order racks and bridges as part of its steel package. The bridges foundations at ground floor slab level with to ensure that adequate loading allowances connect the brewhouse and grain intake building with the their tops protruding through the mezzanine were included. existing brewery and provide links to convey utilities and floor. “Because of steel’s flexibility we were able finished product. “The successful installation of these large to quickly redesign the brewhouse frame. The largest of these structures was 18m long and needed brewing vessels relied on steel construction’s Section sizes to the frame were increased in a 350t capacity crane to lift it. Fabricated from plate girders, flexibility,” says Hugh O’Dwyer, Arup Project size in order to take the extra loads,” adds Mr the bridge was brought to site with all of the services Engineer. O’Dwyer. installed which meant fewer follow on trades were required “The steel frame for the brewhouse was During the initial steel programme after the bridge was installed. erected in two phases. Initially the columns, Kiernan Structural Steel had much of the “We had to coordinate with the brewery and the in vertical bracing and mezzanine floor steel site to itself, with the exception of the 500t house Diageo M&E contractors during this lifting operation were erected so allow installation of the capacity crane used for the vessel installation. as we temporarily blocked a very busy loading bay,” explains large diameter vessels. This was followed by However once the brewhouse was erected John Kiernan of Kiernan Structural Steel. “While some of our erection of the roof steel including rafters and the steel team moved onto constructing other lifts stopped tanker movements, all which required and roof bracing. This two phase erection the grain intake building the site was far pre-planning and coordination so the brewery’s operations process, with vessel installation in between, more confined. weren’t disrupted.” would have been a more difficult procedure “This was when our logistics planning with any other material.” came to the fore as we had to keep moving Steelwork contractor Kiernan Structural the crane’s position during the erection Steel brought the roof rafters to site in 18m programme in order that they didn’t obstruct lengths and then bolted them together on the brewery’s internal traffic,” explains Mr the ground into complete 36m long sections. Lynch. They were lifted into place using one 350t The grain intake building is a 25m capacity mobile crane, positioned outside of high six-storey structure predominantly the building’s footprint due to the confined constructed with traditional beam, column location. and fabricated 400mm x 200mm box The roof of the portal framed brewhouse sections. Built around a regular grid, the supports an array of ductwork, pipework structure is linked to the brewhouse and and a material conveyor system. Most of this is provided with horizontal and vertical assortment of metalwork was included only bracing to achieve overall stability. Artists impression of the finished project NSC Sept/Oct 13 27.