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 | | UPS AND DOWNS AT THE OBSERVATORY | | | Trussed Rafter Association | | 10/10/2006 | | |
When it came to designing the roof trusses for a bespoke, five-storey, state-of-the-art, curved apartment block, Trussed Rafter Association (TRA) member Palgrave Brown, had plenty of 'ups and downs' to deal with.
George Wimpey's Observatory apartment block is the stage-piece of a bespoke housing development in Birmingham. Designed by architect, Roger Dudley, it features a slow faceted curve on the central position and rises from four to five storeys.
Palgrave Brown designed and manufactured the trusses on the first phase of the development, which consisted of bespoke apartments, houses and townhouses
When it came to the Observatory, its geometry meant that it had a very complex roof configuration. The trusses were designed in partnership with fellow TRA member MiTek. Alongside the curvature, a mix of steep and shallow pitches had to be considered. One section of the roof had a pitch of 20 degrees while another had a pitch of only 5 degrees, which is practically a flat roof.
Located on one of the most elevated areas in Birmingham and on a sloping site, the Observatory's top floor apartments offer commanding views across the City's skyline.
The Observatory is in a semi-exposed position and the truss level is 17 metres high, which meant that strong winds played a major factor in the truss design. The wind, coupled with the fact that there was no ceiling in place, meant that the trusses had to have special bracing details in order to secure them to the wall plates.
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