HARLOW TIMBER SYSTEMS SHOW TALENT FOR MUSIC

The construction of a major new music school in Leicestershire enabled us to demonstrate the versatility and technical, as well as economic benefits, of utilising factory-fabricated trussed rafters in non-domestic developments.

The Music School, part of the Loughborough Endowed Schools partnership, has been built on a relatively constricted site in the Burton Walks area of the town, with JH Hallam (Contracts) Ltd being the main contractor. Designed by Stephen George & Partners from Leicester, the Music School has an extended curving floor-plan that presented a number of challenges.

Within the manufacturer’s £28K sub-contract, we designed, produced and installed some 100 trusses in eight different designs to help construct the roof, which slopes towards the focus for the 80-metre radius curve. This included using the Wolf software package and jointing plates to produce extra deep rafters where 219 mm and 147 mm deep sections are spliced together to accommodate the unusually high loadings.

A spokesperson for the project architects recounted that the key drivers in specifying trussed rafters for this complex contract included speed of erection, convenience and the general lack of storage space on site.