Public Buildings
National Conference Centre, Spencer Dock
The National Conference Centre in Spencer Dock, a Public Private Partnership project between the Office of Public Works and Spencer Dock International Conference Centre Limited, is currently on site. The project is a Design and Build project, with the design team novated to CMP, the design & build contractor. The building comprises two large exhibition spaces (with capacity for 2000 people each), a 2000 seater world class auditorium and numerous multi purpose meeting room facilities. The building is unusual in that all of the above spaces are stacked vertically, with a limited number of structural support columns allowed in the functional spaces. The primary structural frame is structural steel, with the basement slab/retaining walls and exposed external slabs constructed in reinforced concrete.
Steelwork Challenges:
- Long spans with limited depth
- Indirect load path, i.e. Transfer trusses supported by transfer trusses
- Limited number of columns allowed
- Significant M&E ventilation duct distribution
Steelwork: Key Facts:
- Approximately 7300 Tonnes of primary steel
- Typical floor plate truss span = 20m, with a structural depth of 2.3m overall
- Eight primary columns in the main exhibition spaces, with a maximum column load of 40,000Kn.
- Roof truss over main auditorium spans 47m
- Feature glass drum at main entrance spans 37m horizontally
- Design of floor plates is governed by dynamics (natural frequency)
