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Better Built with Concrete

STEEL REINFORCEMENT INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA

R E I N F O R C E D

C O N C R E T E

QV1

DIGEST D1 JULY 1991

PRE-PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION OF A MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECT QV1

Construction progress: mid-April 1999

INTRODUCTION

QV1 in Perth has been one of the most successful commercial bu i l d i n g p r o j e c t s u n d e r t a ke n i n Australia, with construction of the 42-level tower proceeding at a rapid rate. A major factor for this success was the substantial amount of preplanning completed by the project manager/builder Interstruct-Kajima prior to construdion.
UNIQUE ARCHITECTURE/ PROVEN STRUCTURAL DESIGN

A great deal of the credit for the successful construction of QV1 can b e a t t r i bu t e d t o a r c h i t e c t H a r r y Seidler. S e i d l e r ' s b r i e f wa s t o d e s i g n a s t r u c t u r e t h a t p r ov i d e d a b o u t 6 0 , 0 0 0 m 2 o f l e t t a bl e a r e a a n d maximised the panoramic outlook to the south over the Perth Water and S wa n R i ve r, t h e b e a u t i f u l l y landscaped f r e eway system connecting to the Narrows Bridge and the wide open spaces of Kings Par k towards the west. As each individual floor had to provide

at least 1600 m 2 of lettable area and offer the greatest flexibility to prospective tenants, a preference fo r c o l u m n - f r e e s p a c e wa s expressed. Further requirements were a nett to gross floor area ratio of at least 80:20 and a construction system that maximised repetitive elements enabling fast erection and optimised floor construction cycles. The need to maximise open urban space on the nor th of the site in order to provide as much sun and shelter from prevailing winds as possible, and the close visual relationship between the public open space and the Hay Street pedestrianl retail precinct were further considerations in siting the tower. A team comprising representatives from Harry Seidler & Associates, Interstruct-Kajima, Structural S y s t e m s L t d ( s l i p fo r m h i r e a n d operation), F&F Constructions Pty L t d ( fo r m w o r k a n d c o n c r e t i n g contractor), Miller Milston Ferris and A i r ey R ya n & H i l l ( Pe r t h - b a s e d consulting engineer), began investigating the best, safest and quickest construction methods to utilise.

Planning included:

Slipform access, platforms etc. Power, water and compressed air supply. Facilities to be included in the slip. Concrete pumping. Reinforcement placing including detailing. Inclusion/exclusion of walls not structurally required ie what should/should not be slipped. Minimum thicknesses for walls.

Access for mechanical services installation in confined pipe risers and shafts. Survey control. Concrete placing with respect to placing rate: - minimum requirement for concrete pumping - maximum circuit time allowable to prevent a cold joint - minimum and maximum slipping rates with respect to concrete setting.

The slipform ran at speeds of up to 600 mm per hour

This extensive research and design phase of the project led to a number of design enhancements, all with the intention of reducing c o n s t r u c t i o n c o m p l ex i t y a n d time. A t y p i c a l ex a m p l e o f t h i s wa s t h e d e c i s i o n by t h e t e a m t o eliminate a header beam from the core to simplify the operation of the slipform. This resulted in less congestion of reinforcement, as well as less steelfixing and formwork alterations between core pours.

The effectiveness of this decision was such that the slipform often ran at the rate of 600 mm per hour and each lift of the core was generally completed with ease during the fived ay wo r k i n g we e k . T h e d e l e t e d header beam was cast at a later s t a g e w i t h t h e f l o o r s l a b, u s i n g mechanical connections fo r reinforcement continuity. Prior to construction, the team also spent a considerable amount of time looking at the placement of essential ser vices such as cranes and concrete-placing booms.

The total site area of 16 386 m2 was amalgamated from 29 parcels of land

O n e r e s u l t o f t h i s wa s t h a t t h e foundations for the structure were altered slightly so that the tower cranes used the building's footings. Also, because tower cranes can b e c o m e a b o t t l e n e ck o n a ny construction project, a decision was taken early on by the construction team to reduce dependency on the cranes as much as possible. This was achieved by incorporating three fo r m w o r k hoists fo r transporting the formwork between f l o o r s, a n d by d e s i g n i n g t h e perimeter safety and formwork

system in such a way that it could be lifted from one floor to another by a simple winch device from the floor above.
SIMPLIFIED CONSTRUCTION DETAILING

Although the partially-prestressed banded-slab floor system chosen for the construction of the floors of QV1 was a tried and proven design, t h e d e s i g n t e a m fo u n d way s t o maximise the efficiency of the system.

West Elevation

St Georges Terrace Elevation

North East Elevation

T h i s wa s d o n e by r e f i n i n g t h e d e s i g n a n d i n c o r p a ra t i n g s h e a r b a n d s n e a r t h e c o r e wa l l s a n d perimeter columns, allowing major longitudinal mechanical ductwork to be located within the minimum of space and enabling the floor-to-floor height to be kept to 3.8 m including a 150 mm access floor.

Structurally, the tower is carried by r e g u l a r l y - s p a c e d r e i n fo r c e d concrete columns, with the floor system consisting of 14.3 m clearspan post-tensioned insitu beams at 3.6 m centres with a 125-mm-thick reinforced concrete floor slab.

Section

Facade detail FLEXIBLE FORMWORK DESIGN

A similar amount of pre-planning went into the design of the formwork system for the job one of the most crucial elements of any reinforced concrete project. A g a i n d r aw i n g o n p r ev i o u s ex p e r i e n c e, I n t e r s t r u c t - K a j i m a opted for a table-form system which took advantage of the repetition within the tower. To further enhance the flexibility of the table-form system, metal cover plates were used in conjunction with t h e t a bl e s t o p r ov i d e a l a r g e tolerance enabling the tables to be positioned quickly. In addition, the use of metal cover p l a t e s s i m p l i f i e d t h e fo r m w o r k design as changes in elements such as core wall thickness could b e r e a d i l y a c c o m m o d a t e d by repositioning the plates.

Construction progress: mid-June 1990

Interstruct-Kajima also opted for a three-floor perimeter safety screen and formwork system which was a first for Perth. This style of system has become common in the eastern states, but, until this project, had not been featured in any large scale project in the west. O n e a r e a w h e r e t h e r e wa s n o hesitation was in the choice of the formwork system for the core. Perth is slipform city. Almost every core i n Pe r t h , eve n s o m e l ow - t o medium-rise cores of about 6 floors, are slipformed.

Construction progress: mid-February 1991

The high degree of local skill available for setting up and running slipforms saw construction of the core proceed very quickly, however, for practical reasons, the core did not freestand more than four to five floors above the following decks. Six cores on the QV1 carpark were also slipformed. Fo u r o f t h e s e w e r e o f f - fo r m slipfor m where the concrete was finished by trowelling off as the pour proceeded. Harry Seidler & Associates commended the subcontractor, Structural Systems Ltd, for its performance in this area.

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COMPLEX FLOOR PLAN, SIMPLE SOLUTION

The use of a tableform assembly to create the intricate radial floor plan of QV1 proved most successful for the builder. Even the complex radial sections proved no problem for the system chosen. Floors were tackled in three stages with the formwork from each section cycling independently providing continuity of work to the various trades involved. A significant advantage of this type of construction is that as soon as the formwork is removed, the area is practically free for the following t r a d e s t o m ove i n t o, w i t h n o fireproofing of structural elements required.

The design layout resuIted in the construction area being kept very clean, simple and safe to work on. The post-tensioning strands are located within the reinforcement cages for the beams, simplifying placement of the slab reinforcement and concrete. Prestressing was not so practical, however, for flat-plate c o n s t r u c t i o n a n d t h e bu i l d e r changed to conventional reinforced concrete construction methods for most non-typical areas. T h e ave r a g e f l o o r c o n s t r u c t i o n cycle, including delays, was about seven days, with four to five day floor cycles achieved on a number of occasions.

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VERSATILITY OF REINFORCED CONCRETE

I f Q V 1 s p r o g r e s s i s m e a s u r e d against two other major high-rise projects under construction in Perth, Exchange Plaza and Central Pa r k , t h e n t h e d e c i s i o n t o u s e reinforced concrete for QV1 has cer tainly paid off for InterstructKajima. Work began on the other p r o j e c t s, w h i c h a r e b o t h s t e e l f ra m e d s t r u c t u r e s, b e fo r e Q V 1 . W i t h i n a few m o n t h s, t h e Q V 1 construction team had caught up with the other buildings and quickly passed them.

As well as speed of construction, r e i n fo r c e d c o n c r e t e ' s ve r s a t i l i t y proved invaluable on QV1. In this type of development, tenancy requirements often vary from the conceptual design and regular changes are a common occurrence. W i t h r e i n fo r c e d c o n c r e t e, i t i s possible to make these changes at short notice with a steel-framed structure it is much more difficult. This was particularly the case with the two-level plaza section of the project designed to house mixed retail and commercial facilities.

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Client: Project Manager: Architect: Structural Engineers: Structural Consultant:

Barrack Properties Ltd/Interstruct Holdings Ltd/ Kajima Corporation of Japan Interstruct-Kajima Harry Seidler & Associates Miller Milston Ferris Airey Ryan and Hill Dr Mario Desideri (Rome)

Mechanical, Electrical, Fire Services and Lifts: Norman Disney & Young Quantity Surveyor: Ralph & Beattie Bosworth

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STEEL REINFORCEMENT INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA

CONTACT DETAILS
SRIA NATIONAL OFFICE PO BOX 280 CROWS NEST NSW 2065 TELEPHONE: 02 9929 3033 FREE CALL: 1300 300 114 FACSIMILE: 02 9929 3255 EMAIL: INTERNET: sria@sria.com.au www.sria.com.au

RCD D1 JULY 1991

ADAPTED

TO

ELECTRONIC

FORM

BY

TECHMEDIA

PUBLISHING

PTY

LTD

61

9477

7766

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