22 August 2008
St Luke’s Hospital Case Study
"There is one benefit of the downturn of the UK housing market..." comments Brian Robertson, General Manager of James Jones & Sons Ltd, Timber Systems Division. "Undoubtedly it's a bad time for everyone, but the downturn is at least focusing minds on innovative ways forward, which is great for timber engineering.
JJTSD are leaders in innovative timber engineered solutions, currently putting their FSC accredited and Green Guide 'A' graded JJI-Joists to innovative use for St Luke's NHS Hospital in Middlesbrough, where they designed complex 7.8m clear-span mono-pitch roofs for 8 of the 10 single storey new-build wards. Main contractors on the project are Laing O'Rourke and the timber frame suppliers are Deeside Timberframe Ltd.
"Deep I-joists were the obvious solution to achieve this very long, clear span" explains Mr Robertson, adding that "While mono-pitched roofs are extremely common in the public and non-residential sectors, to date very few use I-joists"
The move in the last 2-3 years to specify I-joists in commercial and industrial buildings, as opposed to housing, and the increasing use of I joists in roofs and walls, are novel approaches.
"Historically, architects and engineers would have looked to steel or timber roof trusses to create the mono-pitched and flat roofs some of these industrial and commercial designs demand" says Mr Robertson. "Now, more specifiers are looking to timber I-joists, particularly the increasing numbers who wish to deliver sustainable, thermally efficient construction."
JJSTD's design office is detailing pre-insulated 350mm deep JJI-Joist roof cassettes which are being manufactured and supplied by North Yorkshire Timber and Rowan Timber.
Listing the benefits of this use of I-Joists, Brian Robertson explains, "The resulting roofs are not only sustainable and thermally efficient, but as they are pre- insulated and craned into place they also are safer to erect, significantly reducing the risks of working at height."
The use of MMC has also delivered in terms of the speed of roof erection. The project began in May and by July two of the ten blocks were already wind and water tight. It is estimated that by the time the whole project concludes, £400,000 of JJI-Joists in roof panels will have been erected in just six months.
