London Borough of Tower Hamlets (LBTH) appointed SD Structures to produce the structural design for a new residential development on Hanbury Street, Whitechapel.

The proposals are for a new row of 7, three storey residential properties on a derelict garage site. Given the previous usage, SD Structures commissioned a detailed intrusive ground investigation to allow the development of the foundation solution and assess any ground contamination. A deep layer of made ground was found to cover the site area so a piled foundation solution was required. Mini CFA bored piles were selected as a cost efficient and quick to install option with minimal noise and vibration.

A series of options were considered for the superstructure including both traditional forms of construction (load bearing masonry), and modern methods of construction (MMC) – SIPS, timber framed, volumetric and CLT.  Given the constraints of the site, number of units and the architectural requirements of the buildings, a traditional form of construction was adopted.

SD Structures developed the Sustainable Urban Drainage (SUDs) strategy in minimise the potential for surface water flooding optimising a system of permeable paving and attenuation storage tanks within the restraints of the site. SD designed the new access road to adoptable standards.

The project was delivered in 3D to BIM level 2 allowing the structure and below ground drainage to be fully coordinated with the architects design model.