Library of Birmingham

Client: Carillion

The main library building is a nine-storey structure, floor to floor heights vary and are up to 8 metres in the archive areas with the highest loaded floors high up the structure. Entrance areas at ground floor are open and airy and the loads of the structure are concentrated in only a few columns and the core structures which transfers them to the piled foundations. High strength concretes, heavy reinforcement and structural steel are used in the composite columns to resist the loads and keep the columns slender.

There are three core structures within the library area housing multiple lift shafts together with service risers and communications rooms. The two largest of these are being constructed as slip forms.

Within the library building itself is a studio theatre, which is a steel framed structure, acoustically isolated from the rest of the building. This requires that the floors immediately above it (from the second floor) are suspended from the transfer structures between levels five and six. Significant temporary works are required to support these slabs from below in the temporary condition and to allow a smooth transition to slabs hanging from the transfer structures above in the final condition.

The original design concept for the structure was for a steel frame with significant trusses at various levels to transfer the loads to the load bearing columns. A J Morrisroe proposed an alternative design utilising post-tensioned concrete slabs and post-tensioned concrete transfer walls which was accepted by the client.

A J Morrisroe have the design and construct responsibility for all the frame works associated with the library. This includes the Studio Theatre steel frame and steel frames linking the front of house of the Rep Theatre.