Newfoundland, a sixty-two storey tower due to complete next spring, is said to be the tallest of its kind in the UK, with the design being 1/3 taller and 30% lighter than anyone expected. The Construction Index has published an article on Newfoundland focusing on the steel structure of the tower. 

'Analysis was required to establish the optimum raking angle for the main diagrid members to ensure that they work efficiently – too shallow an angle and the members act more like beams; too steep and they act as columns. 

“The diagrid exoskeleton provides excellent stability,” says Gosden. “The triangles resolve the forces and are braced, with the structure creating a natural transfer system that allows the loads to be directed to the eight discrete founding locations. With this system, the core walls can be relatively slim as they act like a column.” 

The lowest level of the building is referred to by the team as the ‘mega-diagrid’ – an enhanced version of the diagrid structural form designed to enable the load of the building to be distributed into the piles via eight 50-tonne steel grillage elements that are essentially giant spreader plates, transferring up to 10,000 tonnes into the foundation piles.'

To read the article in full, click here.