Holiday Inn Express, Edinburgh
The Project
Light Gauge Steel Frame (LGSF), or Lightweight Steel Frame is an ideal building solution for a variety of sectors, from residential housing to healthcare, student accommodation and hospitality & leisure.
At Veitchi Frame we specialise in providing offsite pre-panelised light gauge steel solutions from our bespoke facility on the outskirts of Glasgow. We are the only approved Metframe installer based in Scotland and are experts in the LGSF market.
Light Gauge Steel Frame has many benefits to offer today’s demanding construction sector and is becoming ever more popular as more and more clients comprehend the features which make it unique within the off-site sector. Light steel frame has an incredible strength to weight ratio which makes it the ideal material for a load-bearing structural frame.
To date, this project was one of the trickiest we have undertaken and successfully delivering a challenging project always provides immense satisfaction. Veitchi Frame was chosen to deliver the 4 storey hotel extension and through true collaboration, forming close relationships with the client, architect (ICA), structural engineer (Will Rudd) and voelstapine Metsec we completed the project on time and on budget.
The hotel is situated within a thriving area of Edinburgh city centre at the top of Leith Walk. Traffic, access and parking restrictions are expected at most city centre developments however we also had to consider how we would access the rear of the site through the small archway access points on each side of the lane. Our panels arrive on site arranged specifically for erection sequence however standard articulated vehicles could not access the site. This meant extra steps offloading and re-loading was required to feed the site with the pre-panelised external and internal walls and the concrete for the floors. Due to the restricted access there was no room for a traditional scaffold which we overcame using Veitchi’s bespoke edge protection system developed for use within the Metframe light gauge steel frame solution. Tying into the existing structure was another challenge for the team and hit and miss panels were included in the design.
The four storey extension provides an additional 25 bedrooms for the hotel and we completed our 6 week programme on time. Lift shafts, stair cores, stairs and concrete floors were also provided by Veitchi and this project was selected as a first of its kind for the use of British Gypsum’s Glassroc X sheathing board product.
Some of the main features of light gauge steel frame, a Modern Method of Construction (MMC) make it ideal for city centre use. With less transportation required to deliver independent materials to site it reduces emissions to nearby busy pedestrianised areas. Less vehicles are required due to the pre-panelised nature of LGSF.
We should also consider the environmental benefits of the system. The steel is cut into pre-determined lengths and delivered to our factory for assembly. There is zero waste and site waste is also reduced to an absolute minimum. Less labour is required to install and erect the frame on site, resulting in less travel to and from site. Less labour also reduces health and safety risks. There is also no cutting on site.
The tight tolerances ensured we successfully tied the new extension into the existing building and the rapid installation process allowed follow-on trades earlier access to the building, speeding up completion date as compared with other forms of construction.
Picardy Place was a unique challenge and a project we are proud to have been involved in.
Scope of Works
Design – voelstapine Metsec
Supply, assembly and erection of LGSF – Veitchi Frame
Pre-panelised external panels fitted with non-combustible sheathing board
Bespoke edge protection
Concrete floor
Hit and miss panels onto existing structure
Lift shaft
Stair cores