Shan Denise P.

Avisado
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Leadenhall Building is one of the fastest high rise building that has been constructed in
the heart of United Kingdom. The construction of this 736 ft tall building with 52 storeys
started in 2011 and was completed in August 2014 and in building skyscrapers this was a fast
construction. In spite of the fact that they worked in a tiny and limited area they were still able
to make the 20 000 tons of steel frame rose with other high rise buildings in the largest city of
England.

Designed by the architectural firm ‘Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners,’ they planned to
construct this building with distinct architectural elements including the primary stability
structure, ladder frame, office floor plates, northern support core, external envelope and
public realm. With the said elements, they were able to construct these using mainly of steel
for the framing, concrete floor slabs and 75,000 ft 2 glass wall. The use of steel in constructing
this structure is very fundamental in the value and design of the building. Using only six
internal columns this allowed the floors to be open allowing a vast open office space in every
storey and with transparent enclosure that offers views in every direction that concrete walls
can’t provide.

There are also other advantages of using steel in constructing high rise buildings. Some
of these are seen during the construction of Leadenhall Building including speed of
construction, prefabrication, architectural expression and adaptability. In terms of the speed of
construction, Leadenhall Building was constructed faster than other high rise buildings at a
rate of seven storeys per month that took 2 years to complete when usually skyscrapers are
built in the span of 3-4 years. During construction, all the steel that are used are prefabricated
offsite particularly 200 miles away in the north of England. Steel frames are pressed to
withstand enormous stress, applied with safe features such as fire and waterproofing and
assembled in construction site. They are stockpiled in these factories until they are needed on
site which really helps in maximizing the space in the tiny area of construction. One of the
main reasons why engineers prefer using steel as their main construction is its versatility.
Steel can be shaped in various forms which allows freedom of architectural expression that is
still full of quality and performs its utmost function. The distinctive triangular form of
Leadenhall Building which is popularly known as The Cheesegrater is achieved successfully
using steel exoskeleton. Finally, steel frames is adjustable and was seen in constructing the
skyscraper. They went with the theory that steel frame can be tightened up during the
construction which makes the building stand straight and helps the problem of leaning to the
northern side of the building. With the said advantages, they were able to successfully
construct Leadenhall Building and is now in service for almost 7 years.