WILLIS CORROON OPT FOR NESITE

Nesite floor panels are supported on pedestals and stringers allowing the floor to be raised between 100mm and 1 metre in special cases. The technique allows architects and interior designers to exploit the resulting underfloor void for air-conditioning and cable-management purposes.

A well known Sir Norman Foster design, the Willis Corroon building dates from 1974. It is on four floors and makes innovative use of suspended glass. The site has been grade I listed since 1991 and Sir Norman Foster was called back to design the upgrade.

The building contained a swimming pool which needed to be converted into office space. In a highly innovative design , the edge of the swimming pool has been delineated using Nesite floor tiles. Sir Norman designed a special glass floor with ceramic tiles surrounding the edge of the pool. Aesthetic considerations were paramount and English Heritage insisted that the floor-line was retained.

AET commissioned specially manufactured oversized panels which ensured that the floor remained in tolerance with the surrounding columns. The dept of the pool is 6 ft. and a wooden plug was created using scaffolding poles. The plug is easily removable ensuring that should the usage of the building change in years to come the swimming pool can be reinstated with minimal structural changes.

A full-size mock up of the pool was constructed at the Nesite factory in Italy and a design team from Willis Corroon inspected the model to verify performance. The whole system was relocated and tested in-situ at Ipswich. Working with Ipswich-based contractor, Featherstone Builders, SGB installed timbers and independent scaffolding to protect the pool area while creating the removable ‘plug’. Despite the complexity of the project, the installation was completed in six weeks.

Mr. Alan Say, Executive Director at Willis Corroon’s Establishment Services Division comments: "The AET solution was the result of much lateral thinking by all parties. I would have no hesitation in recommending the Nesite product. Its flexibility is extremely useful when working around the aesthetic restraints that come with a listed building".

 
For technical information contact:
Glan Blake Thomas at AET on
Tel: 01883 744860 Fax: 01883 741 866
Web Site: www.FlexibleSpace.com
Email: AET@FlexibleSpace.com