28 February 2011
Linburn Centre for the Scottish War Blinded
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Actually, the curving, larch-clad building with an undulating, zinc roof which houses the new £2.65m facility for the Scottish War Blinded, owes its flowing shape to a hand carved Chinese sculpture.
Structurally, the building consists of a series of steel portal frames, which, says Project Engineer Douglas Walker of engineering consultants SKM Global, “Allowed the complex curved geometry to be achieved using simple construction techniques which could be erected quickly and safely on site.”
The external walls, which support the larch cladding and the windows, are all formed from James Jones’ FSC certified, UK produced JJI-Joists™. Used vertically and manufactured into panels, the JJIs were specified for several reasons.
Douglas Walker explains “The clients’ brief was that the building should be environmentally friendly, and from the architectural point of view the JJI-Joists™ gave additional depth and so enabled extra insulation to be used, giving the building a more energy efficient performance. In addition, the depth of the studs also meant that the supporting steel columns of the main frame could be hidden within the external walls, ensuring the curves of the façade were uninterrupted.”
Mr Walker continues “From a structural point of view the JJIs were specified because they provided an efficient, light weight and easy to install solution for the facade. The low weight to depth ratio was particularly important as the joists had to span up to 5m in places.”
The JJI-Joist™ panels were installed on a curve and to achieve this detail the head and base of the panels were guided into place with specially formed plywood templates.
“This” confirms Grant Macintosh of Contractors W H Brown “was a complex detail, in a complex building, but the technique using plywood templates, combined with the generally easy handling of the JJI-Joist™ panels, made the construction process much simpler.”
