The Gallery II
Rustat Road, Cambridge

Pinewood Structures was commissioned by George Wimpey to supply the timber frames for the second phase of development at The Gallery in Rustat Road, Cambridge. The £1.44m project included five blocks of apartments totaling 144 homes. The homes benefit from excellent communication links with Cambridge Train Station only a short walk away. Marketed under the Laing Homes brand, the one and two bedroom apartments were designed with a mixture of retro and contemporary chic to appeal to younger buyers. Pinewood Structures’ capacity to undertake a project of this size with such challenging design elements was a major factor in being chosen for the project. Excellent project management and flexibility were key to delivering this project to schedule despite some minor changes to the design.

The buildings were technically demanding due to their shape, size and number of storeys. The largest block was five storeys, the first level being a concrete car park with the timber frame built on a concrete slab above. A building with this many storeys must be engineered to account for disproportionate collapse. This was achieved mainly using a solid ring beam around the external face of the building in the floor decks which maintained the integrity of the structure. The blocks also used some steel construction on the lower floors to which the timber frame had to tie in. Balconies on all of the blocks had to be tied back in to the timber frame to prevent any lateral movement.

Access to the site was restricted and careful planning of deliveries was required to minimise disruption to local residents during the 20 month project.

Pinewood Structures, The Station, Gamlingay, Sandy,
Bedfordshire SG19 3HB
Tel 01767 651218 | Fax 01767 651928
mail@pinewood-structures.co.uk