The Pavilion, Grosvenor dock
The Pavilion is a dramatic, landmark building on the banks of the Thames that served as the marketing suite and showroom for the Grosvenor Dock residential development. The floor plate measures approximately 30m x 7.5m, there are five storeys including the raised ground floor and the structure is reinforced concrete framed.
Challenge
This scheme contained many potential difficulties, including constraints from sewers and London Underground tunnels below the building, tidal and flood issues and neighboring properties with sensitive operations. These constraints needed to be assessed in engineering terms rapidly in order to put the scheme out to tender as early as possible to kick-start the Development.
Solution
Our involvement on this project included the engineering input for the external works and the re-alignment of the Flood Defence Wall as well as underground drainage for the building. The Pavilion is used for residential occupancy throughout, however initially the floors at levels 1 and 4 were used as marketing suites. The floor construction for the ground floor and upper floors (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and roof) is 300mm (maximum) reinforced concrete flat slab.
The slab spans in two directions and is supported by the core walls described in Clause 3.2 and perimeter ‘blade’ columns, which are ‘lost’ in the cladding zone. The ‘constructability’ of the ground floor slab and piled foundation solution was ‘tested’ commercially so that the optimum solution was arrived that responded to the constraints of the underground tunnels and tidal/flood issues. The chosen solution comprised a raised piling platform to keep these works above the water levels and a piled raft using short bored piles.
