BBC's MediaCityUK

The MediaCityUK development in Manchester not only heralds a new beginning for one of the country’s largest former dockland areas, but also shines a light on the future of construction for concrete framed buildings.

The revitalisation of former docklands bordering the Manchester Ship Canal at Salford Quays has been in progress for some years, with a vibrant mixture of commercial, industrial, retail, cultural, residential and leisure developments providing the area with a much-needed boost.

Home to the Lowry Centre and the Imperial War Museum North, and little more than a stone’s throw from Manchester United’s ‘Theatre of Dreams’, the docklands area is now well-accustomed to its reputation as a thriving hotbed of noteworthy construction projects.

Whether this reputation has been established by the various awards gained for the architectural excellence of some of the area’s buildings or the notoriety of those who occupy them, there can be little doubt that Salford’s regeneration has played a major part in enhancing Manchester’s position in the nation’s consciousness over the past fifteen to twenty years.

Even in today’s uncertain economic conditions the development of Salford Quays continues. The latest addition to the region’s architecture is the construction of the much-vaunted MediaCityUK, an enormous undertaking which promises to create a media zone occupied by creative and digital businesses. Part of a wider twenty-year regeneration programme for the area, MediaCityUK’s significance is multi-faceted, with economic and cultural consequences that will impact on local and national sectors of the economy.

Over time, the development is expected to create up to 15,000 new jobs and inject tens of millions of pounds into the region’s economy. The BBC will move five of its departments from London as well as its regional operations from Manchester to the site, a process that will involve the relocation of in excess of 2,000 staff.

For the construction industry, MediaCityUK represents a massive investment. Phase 1 of the project, which will accommodate facilities for the BBC, is currently budgeted at around £415million and is half way through its anticipated four-year schedule.

The site is being developed by Peel Media, a division of the Peel Group, which owns a significant amount of land along the Ship Canal. Phase 1 is the first in a number of developments that will not only transform the region, but could also shape what we watch, read and hear in the future. Further phases are expected to follow as demand develops.

Occupying a site of around forty acres at the edge of the canal, Phase 1 will accommodate three multi-storey buildings for the BBC as well as a further building for Salford University, all of which will provide new neighbours for the existing independent film-making facilities of The Pie Factory.

Main contractor on Phase 1 is Bovis Lend Lease and it is they who have been responsible for stipulating the methods of construction for the various production, studio, administrative and residential buildings that are currently taking shape. With the four main buildings ranging in height from seven to twenty-seven storeys, the internationally-renowned contractor opted for the majority of the structural frames to be formed using in-situ concrete, with a minimal number of features being completed in steel. Oldham-based specialist concrete frames sub-contractor, Heyrod Construction Ltd was awarded the contract for all three buildings and commenced work in September 2007. Heyrod’s work on the three BBC buildings (Blocks A, B and C) is now nearing completion. Work on the Salford University structure (Block B4) has commenced.

Whilst the concrete frames of blocks B and C occupy regular shaped footprints and rise to twenty-one and seven storeys respectively, Block A features an L shaped administration building of five storeys within the ‘courtyard’ of which rises a less-regularly shaped residential apartment block which will ultimately stand at twenty-five storeys. The footprint of this residential element has led to it being affectionately named ‘Africa’ throughout the MediaCityUK construction site.

Alan Hedgecock, one of the Heyrod project managers working at MediaCityUK, explains, “In general, the structures are reasonably straightforward in-situ contracts, with the exception of Block A, thanks to its uncharacteristic footprint.

“In addition, we needed to meet Bovis’s stipulation for the use of Full-Height Safety Screens on the higher blocks A and B, a requirement that is becoming increasingly prevalent nowadays due to the enhanced protection they provide when working at height.

“The use of such screens precludes traditional tables as the means of casting floors and Heyrod’s chose Ischebeck Titan’s HV soffit panel system for the majority of the work, with small Titan tables picking up on the edge details of Block A.”

Full-Height Screens typically cover three storeys of a structure at once. At Block A on the MediaCityUK contract, they also extended around the entire 95 metre perimeter of the structure, affording all-round protection at various working levels. The screening system for this structure was designed in-house by Ischebeck Titan, utilising narrow screen panels to step around the curved profile of the building and shaped internal boards to offer protection on the inside.

In conjunction with the HV panel system, Heyrod’s five-man teams were able to complete upwards of 500 square metres of in-situ concrete decking in seven day cycles on Block A and 860 square metres in eight day cycles on Block B, pouring one deck whilst back-propping two lower decks, all protected by the screens from deck to soffit.

Blocks A and B also benefited from the introduction of a new powered formwork hoist, which runs on a vertical track on the outside of the building, enabling HV components, small tables and other equipment to be moved quickly and easily between levels.

Vic Grady of Heyrod took responsibility for overseeing the in-situ work on Block A and comments, “The use of screens, soffit panels and the formwork hoist certainly points the way ahead for safety and productivity on future projects.

“Our guys cannot speak highly enough of the systems in terms of ease of use and efficiency. We were able to move equipment around and between decks manually, which meant that we did not have to wait for the crane to be available in order to progress. The screens instilled such a high degree of confidence in the workforce that they made a positive contribution towards productivity.