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P R O J E C T
P R O F I L E
97.361 Published by the British Cement Association on behalf of
First published 1996 the industry sponsors of the Reinforced Concrete Council.
ISBN 0 7210 1498 4 British Cement Association
Century House, Telford Avenue
Price Group C Crowthorne, Berkshire RG45 6YS
Telephone 01344 762676
© British Cement Association 1996 Fax 01344761214

All advice or information from the British Cement Association is intended for those who will evaluate the significance and limitation of its contents and take responsibility
for its use and application. No liability (including that for negligence) for any loss resulting from such advice or information is accepted. Readers should note that all BCA
publications are subject to revision from time to time and should therefore ensure that they are in possession of the latest version.
 B.T. O'Neill BA(Hons), DipAA, RIBA
Eur Ing G. Shaw CEng, FICE, FlStruct F, MConsF
M. Flynn BEng, MSc, DIC

FOREWORD
This publication was commissioned by
the Reinforced Concrete Council, which
was set up to promote better knowledge
and understanding of reinforced concrete
design and building technology
Its members are Co-Steel Sheerness plc
and Allied Steel & Wire, representing the
major suppliers of reinforcing steel in the
UK; and the British Cement Association,
representing the major manufacturers of
Portland cement in the UK.
Brendan O'Neill is a director of
Bennetts Associates and was the project
architect for the PowerGen HQ building.
Gerry Shaw is Technical Director of
Curtins Consulting Engineers and was
director in charge of the design and
supervision of structural and civil
engineering works for the project.
Michael Flynn is a development

TIMOTHY SOAR
engineer for the Reinforced Concrete
Council.

CONTENTS

■ THE PROJECT 2
■ THE BRIEF 3
■ DESIGN Architecture 4
Structure 5
Services 6
■ DESIGN/CONSTRUCTION INTERFACE 7
■ CONSTRUCTION Substructure 8
The RCC gratefully acknowledges the assistance of
Superstructure 8
all those who helped with the production of this Cladding and finishes 10
publication especially Hugh Davies of Buro Four
Project Services, David Philips of Laing Midlands, ■ COOL CONCRETE 11
John Caine of Curtins Consulting Engineers and ■ APPENDIX Project details 12
Alan Jones of EDSL.
COVER PHOTOGRAPH PETER COOK

1
P R O J E C T P R O F I L E

THE PROJECT
The recently completed headquarters of
PowerGen is a naturally ventilated building which is
setting the standard for a new generation of energy
efficient offices.
This purpose built administrative centre is
located at Westwood Business Park in Coventry. The
three storey building provides 140000 sq ft of office
space and includes an undercroft car park. The long
narrow floor plan consists of two parallel floor plates
separated by a central atrium and lies on an east-west
axis. The office layout is generally open plan.
The building's orientation and layout provides
good daylighting and air-flow patterns which are
both important considerations in a naturally
ventilated building. Even more significant in
reducing energy costs is the choice of reinforced
concrete for the structural fabric, as the thermal mass
of the concrete frame helps to control the internal
environment. Cooling of the exposed concrete soffit
by night-time ventilation provides free, passive
Office areas cooling during hot summer days.
are comfortable and The coffered ceiling is perhaps the most obvious
well lit
example of the fulfillment of functional, structural
and aesthetic requirements in one feature, and it was
achieved by the careful exploitation of the properties
of in-situ concrete.
Every aspect of the design contributed to the
production of a spacious, integrated work environ-
ment. This was achieved by the team approach
adopted by the client, designers and contractors for
all aspects of the design and construction.
The building performed magnificently during
one of the hottest summers on record, receiving
PAUL HARMER

unanimous acclamation from users and observers

alike. Furthermore, its actual performance closely
matched predictions from thermal modelling.
The southern elevation
from the main car park

PETER COOK

2
 P R O J E C T P R O F I L E

THE BRIEF
PowerGen was keen to provide a modern,
comfortable and efficient working environment in its
new headquarters. Thus, design and planning
focused on the workplace and the desire to create
an environment which supported internal
communications and teamworking.
The original headquarters were spread out over
two sites, and combining these in one purpose-built
unit was essential. As a result, office accommodation
was needed for 600 employees with a flexible
working space to meet the needs of a variety of
work activities.
The additional requirement for an energy
efficient building with low running costs led the
design team to examine various natural ventilation
strategies. Central to this requirement was the need
to reduce heat loads and maximize passive cooling.
The choice of structural material was clearly ofmajor
importance, and the passive cooling provided by
exposed concrete was considered vital to the success

PETER COOK
of the natural ventilation policy.

Open-balconied offices on either side

of the atrium allow good internal
communication
Typical floor section of in-situ concrete

Partitioned offices are available for meetings

A major consideration in setting comfort levels

was the stipulation that employees should have local
control of their environment, rather than rely on
conventional control from the central plant room.
This meant that mechanical ventilation equipment
was to be kept to a minimum and that heating and
ventilation controls should be easily accessible and
simple to operate.
Ultimately, PowerGen sought a building which
would be energy efficient, environmentally friendly
and able to yield savings in overall running and
staffing costs. These savings would be achieved by
moving away from fully air conditioned offices and
PETER COOK

by productivity gains from the improved, integrated

working environment.

3
P R
The sculptural form of the coffers
is enhanced by the uplighting
4
O J E C T P R O F I L E
DESIGN
Architecture
Detailed analysis of PowerGen's overall design intent
established that the office space requirements would
be best met by a series of narrow floor plates. This
would allow connection across the office space and
encourage the personal communication between
occupants which is vital to a thriving and productive
office environment. The size of the floor plates also
needed to accommodate a variety of departmental
offices and allow for future flexibility.
Within the 10.8 x 7.2 m structural grid are three
coffers each 2.4 m wide which span from atrium to
external window The coffers' elliptical cross section
is designed to improve the acoustic performance of
the office space by focusing unwanted noise onto the
acoustically absorbent wings of the lighting rafts
suspended beneath each coffer.
The lighting rafts partially uplight the coffers to
enhance their sculptural form. They also incorporate
smoke and fire detectors, and the PA system, which
would normally be hidden behind a suspended
ceiling. In long section, the coffers taper towards
their ends to increase the penetration of natural light
PETER COOK
into the office space from the external windows and
the atrium.
The exposed concrete soffit modifies the internal
environment through its thermal mass, providing a
heat sink during the winter and ‘free’ cooling during
the summer. The coffered profile contributes to
these functions by providing a greater effective
Stair towers link the working areas surface area than a flat slab and thus making the
and house the shared office equipment
cooling concrete mass more accessible.
As well as providing the circulation routes that
link the floors, the stair towers contain much of the
shared office equipment. This functional planning
fulfils the dual purpose of bolstering the stair towers'
role in promoting social contact and of removing
heat-producing equipment from the office areas to
‘hot spots’ where heat gains can be locally treated.
The 113 m long central atrium was designed to
further enhance natural ventilation and lighting. The
open-balconied configuration of offices on either
side of the atrium contributes to the open,
communicative environment. The provision of
facilities such as informal meeting areas in the atrium
provides a focal area for staff social interactions.
The facade consists of stack-bonded red brick
panels and double glazed units. Glazed areas have
PETER COOK
three levels of opening window and on the southern
elevation each floor features two rows of solar shades.
P R O J E C T P R O F I L E

Structure
In keeping with the integrated design approach,
aesthetic and functional requirements had a major
influence on the structural design solution. Curtins
Consulting Engineers had to produce a structural
design which fulfilled these diverse requirements.
The excellent thermal mass qualities of concrete,
and its low cost in comparison with other structural
alternatives, focused the design effort on choosing
between an in-situ, a precast and a hybrid concrete
frame solution. The exposed structure required high
quality finishes which initially led the team to
consider a precast or hybrid concrete frame.
However, both the precast and the hybrid
options presented disadvantages of cost, buildability
and procurement. Each precast unit would have
spanned 10.8 m and weighed up to 20 tonnes. This
would have created transporting and placing
problems. The units would have cost some ten
percent more than in-situ concrete and would have
had to be ordered in advance of letting the
main building contract.
The balance between quality and economy was
achieved by careful design. To enhance the quality of
finish, specially designed GRP moulds were used to
form the coffered ceiling profile. The decision to use
prefabricated reinforcement considerably improved
the speed and accuracy of its fixing. It was important
that the speed of construction of the coffered
Section through
solution should not differ significantly from south elevation
traditional in-situ concrete floors, otherwise the
economies of the in-situ solution would be lost.
Curtins decided to use partial post-tensioning to
minimize early thermal shrinkage effects and so
ensure that there were no visible cracks in the
exposed concrete coffers. The maximum designed
crack width was 0.1 - 0.2 mm so that a standard
emulsion paint could be applied to the soffit without
the cracks showing through.
The floorplates are supported by 400 mm
diameter circular columns. Overall stability of the
frame is achieved through bracing provided by the
in-situ concrete stair walls.
A reinforced concrete upstand was cast to the
external edge of the floor slabs to support the ribbon
windows and brick cladding panels. These slender
brick panels were designed so that they could be
assembled on site while the RC frame was being
constructed. They were post-tensioned for safe
handling and lifting into position. Panels of Stack-
PETER COOK

The atrium roof structure is supported by slender bonded red bricks

and double
steel columns and was designed so that large parts glazed units form
could be assembled off site. the façade

5
P R O J E C T P R O F I L E

Services
The choice of natural ventilation required the service
engineers Ernest Griffiths & Son to consider all
aspects of the building design. The arrangement of
relatively narrow open plan office areas on either side
of the three storey atrium provided the ideal layout
for good natural ventilation.
By minimizing solar gain effects and providing
clear air paths, the exposed concrete soffit helps to
control the internal environment. The building
management system controls the top row of
windows, which are opened at night to allow cool
air to flow over the coffered concrete soffit. This
cools the concrete which then acts as a cooling
surface to absorb radiant heat the following day
Computer simulations by environmental
modelling specialist EDSL were used to model
accurately the office environment and predict peak

PAUL HARMER
internal temperatures, taking into consideration
external effects, internal heat loads and the passive
cooling effects of the exposed concrete. The
The sculptural form of the coffers
is enhanced by the uplighting modelling helped develop the design strategy and
establish the right mix of thermal mass and natural
ventilation. It also showed that night-time
ventilation was able to exploit the long term thermal
dynamics of the floor. The latter were provided by
the careful use of exposed concrete with sufficient
thickness to absorb heat gains over many days.
Internal heat gains are minimized by placing
areas that require air-conditioning, such as the
computer suite and kitchens, at the east and west
ends of the building. The larger, heat generating
office equipment, such as photocopiers, is grouped
into segregated rooms, out of the open plan space.
Staff have considerable control of their
environment as the lower windows may be opened
Sunlight and airflow patterns
in offices manually during the day. Underfloor ventilation
ductwork has been installed to accommodate any
potential future change of use or the addition of
cellular offices.
The electrically powered building uses a warm-
Computer modelling used to predictn peak internal temperatures
water heat bus, which gathers heat from various
sources including IT equipment, the atmosphere and
a diesel generator. This heat is then distributed
through underfloor pipes in the atrium, in anti-
downdraught radiators at atrium roof level and in air
heater batteries which serve the underfloor
ventilation system.
A seven month appraisal of the building using
the Building Research Establishment Environmental
Assessment Method (BREEAM) earned the building
a Very Good classification, including a maximum
score for its ventilation system.

6
P R O J E C T P R O F I L E

DESIGN/CONSTRUCTION INTERFACE
This building is a good example of the blending

POWERGEN
of architectural and engineering design solutions.
This was achieved through a committed team effort
which concentrated on providing an integrated
design solution. This approach was complemented
by PowerGen's desire to focus the design on the
building's functional requirements.
The design evolved through the development of
a model floor plate in response to the space planning
brief. In working on the coffered profile, it was vital
to develop an integrated design where the
boundaries between structure, services and
architecture overlapped.
Whilst the design was being developed, key
aspects were tested by modelling and mock-ups.
A 1:40 scale model of a typical cross section through
the building was made to develop the atrium glazing,
office glazing and concrete profiles for maximum Prefabricated reinforcement ready for lifting into place
lighting performance.
A full-size mock-up of a 7.2 x 10.8 m structural
bay was also built using glass reinforced plaster to

BENNETTS ASSOCIATES
form the coffers. This was invaluable for confirming
and tuning the design of the coffer profile and light
fittings, and for testing the acoustic performance and
artificial lighting levels.
When Laing Midlands were appointed as design
and build contractors, they adopted the approved
scheme and worked closely with the novated design
team. The on-site mock-ups played an important
role in incorporating key refinements such as the
prefabrication of slab reinforcement into the final
design solution.
The benefits of a clear design intent, involvement
of the contractor in the design process, and attention
to detail in all aspects of design are demonstrated by
the elegance, quality and economy of the exposed
concrete framed structure.
PETER COOK

The concrete soffits prior to painting

The full-size mock-up of

a structural bay

7
P R O J E C T P R O F I L E

CONSTRUCTION
Substructure
The site had few problems in terms of ground
conditions, and foundations were founded on
weathered rock with a bearing capacity of
400-500 kN/m2. The building was cut into the site
to provide low level undercroft car parking, and to
make the best use of the site contours.
The concrete columns are supported on mass
concrete pad foundations. These pad foundations did
not need to be tied together as lateral restraint was
provided by the sandstone strata. The in-situ

POWERGEN
concrete shear walls to the stair areas are supported
The substructure nearing competion
off reinforced concrete strip footings which were
also founded on the sandstone strata. Two cast in-
situ retaining walls, one at either end of the building,
extend from the undercroft car park to the end of
Well planned construction ensured good progreess
the exterior car park. The car parks are finished in
dark, block paving.

Superstructure
Laing Midlands were appointed as design and build
contractors, and they decided to construct the
concrete frame themselves. They produced a
comprehensive method statement and worked
closely with the design team to finalize detailed
design considerations.
A full size concrete mock-up of a typical
structural bay helped in fine tuning various aspects of
the design and methods of construction.
Refinements were made to the concrete mix design
POWERGEN

and the fabrication details of the preformed

reinforcement for the coffered slab. The methods for
fixing, supporting, aligning and striking the shutters
were also improved through the use of the mock-up.
A rigid quality control procedure was set up for
Rebates formed in the concrete soffit the supply of the ready-mixed concrete. Every load
was to be slump tested before being accepted and the
supplier had to guarantee the same sand source for
all concrete delivered to site. Portland cement was
used for all concrete pours and this helped to achieve
early strength gains, which allowed early striking of
the formwork.
The custom-made GRP formwork gave a
smooth, high quality finish to the coffered concrete
ceiling. All the moulds had the same standard
profile, as the shape of the coffers is uniform
throughout the building. Although these moulds
were more expensive than proprietary systems,
PETER COOK

savings from their reuse, together with the

elimination of the need for suspended ceilings,

8
P R O J E C T P R O F I L E

helped to offset their cost. The consistent, high

quality finish achieved using these forms was a
major factor in attaining the striking appearance of
the soffit.
Perhaps the area of greatest importance to the
visual qualitv of the concrete was the joints formed
between the moulds. The joint former had to be
simple and reusable, and had to prevent leakage
which would have been detrimental to the finish of
the concrete. Rather than trv to hide the joints,
rebates were cast-in to form a feature between the

LAING MIDLANDS
coffers: these joints also provide a location for the
office partitions. Aluminium strips were chosen to
form the rib joints at the junctions of the moulds, GRP Moulds were used to form the coffers
and extruded rubber sections were used to form the
rebates over the curved sections of the mould.
The mock-up was used to improve the methods
of fixing reinforcement in the coffered slab
formwork. The contractor worked closely with the
engineer and reinforcement supplier ROM to detail
mesh reinforcement for the slabs, which was pre-
fabricated off site. Cage reinforcement for the edge
beams was prefabricated on site and simply lifted into
position by crane. The wide use of preformed
reinforcement for both beams and slabs meant that
all the reinforcement in the 520 m2 of a typical floor
plate was fixed in just two days.
Concrete was placed using both pump and skip.

ROM TLD
The rail mounted crane enabled concrete to be lifted
by skip along the length of the building, while
The repetitive nature of the coffers allowed prefabricated reinforcement to be used
mobile concrete pumps were used for the larger slab
pours. After careful compaction of the concrete the
slabs were float finished.
The partial post-tensioning of the slabs to
minimize early thermal shrinkage cracking proved
very successful, and no visible cracking occurred to
any of the coffered sections. This allowed the soffit
to be finished by simply applying two coats of
emulsion paint.
The post-tensioning operation required close
monitoring of the concrete temperature, as the initial
stress was applied as the heat of hydration began to
dissipate. The final stressing was carried out when
the concrete had achieved a strength of at least
25N/mm2. Plastic sheathing was used to protect the
unbonded tendons.
The coffer ribs were back-propped at three
points along their length and the loads were
transferred through to foundation level. Further
props were required to support wheel loads from
cranes and concrete pumps on the atrium floor slab.
LAING MIDLANDS

The close working relationship between The GRP moulds wer supported
off aluminium falsework which was
contractor and the design team meant that easily lowered after casting

9
P R O J E C T P R O F I L E

buildability requirements of complex shapes could

be incorporated without adding critical time and
expense. All parties are highly satisfied with the
quality of the concrete, and the decision to use in-
situ rather than precast has been vindicated. Despite
having to work through the winter against low
temperatures and high winds, the coffered
structure was constructed on time to the tight
programme of 16 weeks and required very little
making good.

Cladding and finishes

While concrete was being poured, the team was also
active on another part of the site, prefabricating

POWERGEN
stack-bonded brick panels for use as the external
cladding to the two main elevations of the building.
The Structure nears completion These panels are 3.6 m long, 1.6 m high and 0.102 m
thick, and were post-tensioned so that they could be
lifted into position by crane. The supporting stainless
steel angles on the top and bottom of the brick
panels were simply connected to fixing plates bolted
to the concrete structure.
The glazed areas have three levels of opening
windows. The double glazed, low emissivity units
have a motorized top pane controlled by the building
management system and two lower panes can be
opened by staff during the day. On the south side,
adjustable solar shading panels are supported by
stainless steel rods which are suspended from
aluminium support brackets.
Slender steel columns on either side of the
atrium support the elegant roof structure from the
400 mm thick flat slab which spans the undercroft
car park. Large elements of the roof structure were
assembled at the factory; delivered to site for further
POWERGEN

assembly and finally lifted into place in large

sections.
Brick cladding and glazing The striking building structure is enhanced by
enclose the frame
high quality finishes. Stair core walls are clad in
American cherrywood panelling to blend in with
the timber staircases. The work-station finish is
beech with a matt lacquer to reduce glare. To ensure
that clear air paths and good daylighting are
maintained, the heights of the partitions between
work-stations have been kept to a minimum.
A wetlands feature compliments the building's
surroundings. A system of three interlinked ponds
was created, and a series of wooden walkways added
to allow access to the ponds. The double-height
reception area is enclosed by a glazed cube and
POWERGEN

American cherrywood
is used for stairs and
commands views over the surrounding wetlands and
wall panels woods beyond.

10
P R O J E C T P R O F I L E

COOL CONCRETE
Energy efficiency has become a central theme in
modern office design as owners and clients seek to
cut operating costs and increase productivity through
the creation of a healthy, integrated work
environment. Thus the trend towards naturally
ventilated offices looks set to continue with
PowerGen HQ as the exemplar structure.
The passive cooling effects of the exposed
concrete soffit are fundamental to the success of this
type of structure. The inherent thermal mass of
concrete reduces temperature swings, particularly on
hot summer days, and thus ensures that natural
ventilation maintains a comfortable working
environment. This is the case of PowerGen, where
Concrete’s thermal mass
during the 1995 summer heatwave, the building's reduces the temperature

PETER COOK
internal temperatures were maintained some 3°C swings and helps to
maintain a comfortable
below those outside. internal environment
The structural frame satisfies both functional and
structural requirements. This achievement is the
result of a committed team effort on the part of all Monitored thermal performance during the summer of 1995
involved in the design and construction process. The
exposed concrete structure was carefully moulded to
enhance the building's acoustic, lighting and thermal
performance. This illustrates the way in which the
traditional boundaries between design disciplines
were overcome by focusing on an integrated design
solution. Furthermore the design team produced an
elegant architectural feature in the exposed coffered
ceiling.

EDSL/KINROSS CONTROLS
The cost of this office building is remarkably low
considering the quality of the structure produced.
Primary cost-saving items include the use of a
reinforced concrete frame, prefabricated brick
cladding panels and the omission of suspended
ceilings and air conditioning in the offices. Add to
these capital savings those achieved from reduced
running costs, and the economies of this type of
Environmentally friendly, economic to operate and a comfortable workplace
structure become very significant indeed.
The ultimate test of the benefits or otherwise of
an energy efficient building is how it performs in
use. PowerGen moved into their new offices in
January 4995 and since then the performance of the
building has been extensively monitored.
Throughout one of the hottest summers on record
this building has performed magnificently with
employees indicating high levels of satisfaction with
their working environment.
The experience of PowerGen HQ demonstrates
the economy and quality of in-situ concrete frames
PETER COOK

and the vital role their thermal mass will play in

energy efficient offices of the future.

11
P R O J E C T P R O F I L E

A P P E N D I X THE PROJECT TEAM

Client
Architect
Structural engineer
Services engineer
Quantity surveyor
Project manager
Design and build contractor
Fit-out architect
Landscape architect
Services QS
Environmental modelling
PowerGen Plc
Bennetts Associates
Curtins Consulting Engineers
Ernest Griffiths & Son
E.C. Harris
Buro Four Project Services
Laing Midlands
Fletcher Priest
Mark Westcott
Matt Green & Wall
Environmental Design
Solutions Ltd

THE PROGRAMME

AREAS
Gross floor area 12 700m2
Nett lettable area 10 600m2
Car park spaces 550

CONSTRUCTION TIME
Start May 1993
Finish September 1994
Duration 17 months
POWERGEN

12
 P R O J E C T P R O F I L E

CONSTRUCTION COSTS
£/m2 %
Substructure 19.53 2.17
Frame 135.56 15.04
Roof 70.33 7.81
Cladding 124.91 13.87
Internal walls & doors 53.08 5.90
Finishes 74.38 8.26
Services 348.69 38.73
Fittings & furniture 10.35 1.15
Preliminaries 63.72 7.07
Total 900.55 100.00

PETER COOK
Level three plan

Section Reflected ceiling plan

13
PROJECT PROFILE: POWERGEN HEADQUARTERS

B.T O'Neill, G. Shaw; M. Flynn

BRITISH CEMENT ASSOCIATION PUBLICATION 97.361