June 2010
An impressive new complex at Leeds Metropolitan University known as Broadcasting Place has received the prestigious Best Tall Buildings - Europe award for 2010 from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).
Halcrow Yolles provided structural engineering services for the iconic building, which captures the essence of Yorkshire’s rugged landscape with its ‘rusty’ exterior of naturally corroded steel. The 23-storey complex, with its striking angular, multifaceted façade, comprises facilities for student accommodation and teaching, and includes a church.
The award, which is also presented regionally to buildings in the Americas, Asia and Australia, and the Middle East and Africa recognises outstanding tall buildings for their design and technical innovations, sustainable attributes, and the enhancements they provide to the surrounding cityscape and the lives of their inhabitants.
Broadcasting Place was selected from an unprecedented number of entries by a distinguished jury of design professionals.
Halcrow Yolles provided solutions to a number of design challenges which resulted in significant value for the client and the architect, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios. These included:
- maximising the net floor plate through the use of high-strength concrete for the columns at the lower levels
- cutting costs through the use of post-tensioning to the horizontal structure. This reduced the weight of the structure on the foundations, in turn reducing the number and size of piles required
- contributing to the achievement of a ‘very good’ BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) rating through design considerations such as the use of concrete, which provides benefits through its thermal mass
CTBUH is an international organisation sponsored by architecture, engineering, planning and construction professionals to facilitate exchanges among those involved in all aspects of tall buildings. The leading body in the field, CTBUH is the recognised source of information on tall buildings, the arbiter of building height, and determines the winner of the title for the world’s tallest building.
Broadcasting Place has already received two industry awards, first for excellence by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the second for the Best New Building Award at the Leeds Architecture awards.