Engineers at the award-winning Will Rudd Davidson consultancy say investment in construction projects in Glasgow has led to a positive start to 2021 for the firm. Will Rudd Davidson’s Glasgow team is working to complete three major projects within Scotland’s largest city in contracts totalling close to £125 million.
These include the provision of civil and structural engineering support on a £22m project at St Andrews Drive in the city’s south side where the team designed the structure’s drainage, SuDS, roads and hardstanding, and below-ground utilities.
In an ambitious residential project to build 195 flats on Minerva Street in the Finnieston area, the Will Rudd Davidson Glasgow team provided vital civil and structural engineering assessments and design to RIBA stages 2 and 3. They also undertook underground tunnel surveys at Kelvinhaugh, assessing flood risk and drainage, to develop a winning strategy to achieve planning permission.
Having achieved prestigious CARE accreditation in conservation, the firm was chosen to assist with the transformation of existing buildings on George Street into student accommodation. The George Street project involves the retention, restoration and re-use of the listed buildings, blending character with new build elements to allow for a mix of complementary uses, such as a hotel, café, and gallery. Due to this scale and complexity, it is considered to be one of the most significant developments currently underway in Scotland.
“The first quarter has been incredibly strong for Will Rudd Davidson, reflecting the continued achievements of our team in Glasgow. The recent completion of four early years projects for East Dunbartonshire Council, along with the current work on three large residential projects in the city, is contributing to our firm having a very positive first half of the year,” said MJ O’Shaughnessy, managing director, Will Rudd Davidson Glasgow.
“The team is also working on a wide range of projects across the UK, including several tall buildings in London, the conversion of an office block in Manchester for Brewdog, and student accommodation in Oxford. The projects are diverse in range and scale and demonstrate the Glasgow team’s skills and experience working on both new build and conservation and restoration of historic buildings.”
The Will Rudd Glasgow team has been providing engineering solutions to assist Brewdog with the conversion of a 1970s office building in the centre of Manchester into a new bar at ground level and a hotel with a roof terrace on the upper floors. Assessment of the condition and load capacity of the existing structure was key to achieving the permitted change of use, and putting in place internal alterations and a new roof configuration.
Blue-green infrastructure has also been key in the development of 137 units of student accommodation and communal leisure space above an existing two storey commercial property in Oxford, to incorporate a green roof as a SuDS measure, a strategy recently approved by Thames Water. To ensure retail trading continuity in the unit below, the team devised a sympathetic piling solution and a steel frame with truss spans of 18m.
Civil and geotechnical engineering work has also been carried out by the Glasgow team to ensure proposals for a major residential-led mixed use development in Drumshoreland, West Lothian, could be submitted for planning approval.
