Glazing Completes On Sheffields Tallest Building
Shepherds St Pauls City Lofts project, Sheffield’s tallest building, has moved nearer to completion, with 282 tonnes of glazing covering an area of 6000m² now installed.
The final glazed unit, known as a curtain wall panel, was fitted last week to the 101m high mixed-use scheme, after a six-month installation programme.
The units were prefabricated and glazed off-site reducing installation time and safety risks, and improving quality control. An eight-strong team was responsible for the assembly of the panels, a major reduction to the traditional method of glazing, which would have meant up to 70 people being involved to complete the installation in a similar timeframe.
The unitised solution has also eliminated the need for scaffolding and the storage of cladding materials and glass handling on site – a major advantage for this restricted city centre site.
The City Lofts scheme comprises a pair of interlinked towers – the 32-storey Tower One and the 12-storey Tower Two – which are re-defining Sheffield’s skyline. The development is scheduled for completion August 2010 and when complete will provide 316 luxury one and two-bedroom apartments.
Shepherd’s project leader, Jon Mangham, comments: “The space constraints we have faced on-site during the construction of such a tall building have been a major consideration, necessitating an extremely efficient method of working. The specification of the unitised curtain wall system has been a big benefit as it allowed us to complete this stage quicker without having to use scaffolding or mast climbers.”