This is a residential building containing bedrooms for students. The building structure consists of eighteen precast concrete H-frames around the perimeter and nine interior cast-in-place concrete columns, all supporting a heavy 9in (225 mm) deep concrete slab at each floor level. The building foundations are piled, all precast columns being positioned in 2 ft (600 mm) deep pockets in 3 ft (900 mm) deep ground beams sitting on the piles. There are precast concrete infill panels between but set behind the H-frames, and these panels overlap on the columns each side. Infill panels are also used at right angles to the H-frames, having the same height as the spandrel of the H-frames.
All infill panels on the east and west sides as well as corner panels and the large wall panels on the north and south sides are 5in (125 mm) thick and incorporate ¾in (19 mm) of insulation.
The ground floor is set back from the perimeter and enclosed by a cavity brick wall. Inside, the ground floor has a suspended ceiling 10 in (250 mm) below the slab soffit, the void containing services which then pass upwards through holes in the floor slabs.
Internal columns are mostly at about 11 ft (3.35 m) centres; they are omitted at one place where the slab has to span about 22 ft (6.71 m). Each floor slab carries the loads at that level, including the partition walls between bedrooms which are 8in (150 mm) heavy block plastered on both sides. Horizontal forces are taken by frame action.
The total period of construction amounted to 14 months. Precast elements were made in wooden forms using white aggregates and white cement. The spandrel of the H-frame has its top sloped back towards the building so that rainwater can be led back behind the columns instead of running down the face.
Notes:
H-frame n. Н-образная рама\каркас
infill panel панель стенового заполнения