TRIPLE-PLY TRUSSES SECURE LUTTERWORTH OFFICE PROJECT

Harlow TS have designed and fabricated the roof structure for a commercial office development where, in order to accommodate the length of span and the imposed loads, the individual timber trusses weighed close to a tonne each.

The contract was for Westleigh Developments and concerned the construction of a two-storey office block in Lutterworth. With an over-plate dimension of 17.6 metres to address, the most economic solution was to fabricate sets of three trusses in the conventional fashion for each position, then screw them together as a single assembly in the factory.

While the main frame to the building was of structural steel, the project structural engineers, The Diamond Wood Partnership, working together with architects, The Brian Dearlove Partnership, wanted to avoid having more girders spanning the building at first floor ceiling level. The use of the timber trussed rafters was therefore decided on as the most economic solution.

In addition to the main trusses weighing 895 kilograms each, we also supplied a variety of other fabrications to form the hipped end to the roof and to accommodate a lift shaft.

The latter involved designing a set of mono-pitch trusses to fit one side of the lift shaft, which was just off centre to the building, with stub versions on the opposite, shorter side.

Our package was completed with the provision of all the cut timbers and ancillary brackets necessary to complete the roof structure.

The erection of the roof at the Lutterworth site was carried out by Strong and O’Meara, a Harlow Timber Systems approved sub-contractor.