Concrete solutions for student accommodation
shortage
The recession and lack of job opportunities
has seen an upsurge in university applications. This has resulted
in increased demand for student accommodation. A fact welcomed by
student accommodation providers and by the construction industry
suffering from one of the worst downturns in recent history.
Between February 2009 and 2010 there has been
a 23 per cent rise in the number of university applications as
young people seek further education rather than the dole. This has
resulted in a greater demand for good quality student accommodation
against a relatively low supply. Unite, the student accommodation
provider, has responded by acquiring and developing new sites
particularly in student hotspots such as London where there
is strong demand from international students who pay up to £330 a
week for a Unite studio flat.
Despite economic cutbacks resulting in many
universities reducing the number of available places, student
accommodation is often over-subscribed with demand far outstripping
supply.
The need for quality student accommodation
that can be constructed quickly and cost-effectively has been noted
by the UK concrete industry which has developed a number of
solutions that are particularly well suited for the construction of
student accommodation. "Student accommodation is basically a
cellular repetitive structure that is structurally simple and
requires ease of construction and economy", explained Andrew
Minson, executive director of The Concrete Centre. "There are a
number of concrete cellular solutions that offer both speed of
construction and quality of build".
There are three main forms of concrete
cellular construction: tunnel form, crosswall and twinwall. With
tunnel form, a cellular shape is created by pouring concrete into
moveable 'tunnel' shaped formwork on site. Once the required
concrete strength has been obtained after 24 hours, the formwork is
moved so that another tunnel can be formed. When a storey has been
completed, the process is repeated on the next floor. In this way a
strong monolithic multi-storey structure can be quickly
constructed.
By contrast, crosswall construction uses
factory-made precast components custom designed and manufactured
for each specific project. Load-bearing walls across the building
provide the means of vertical support and lateral stability, with
longitudinal stability achieved by external wall panels or
diaphragm action taking the load to the lift cores or stair shafts.
Structures up to 16 storeys have been completed in the UK using
crosswall.
Finally, twinwall construction is a
combination of both precast and insitu concrete. Two thin precast
walls and a soffit act as the permanent formwork with concrete
poured into the void and also on top forming the cellular
structure.
"What these three methods have in common are
fast construction", said Minson. "In addition, they offer benefits
that are particularly specific for student accommodation:
robustness, fire resistance, sound insulation, finished walls and
thermal mass which can be used as part of a passive sustainability
design strategy to reduce air conditioning and heating
requirements".
Ref: TCC645