Walter Lilly’s project for the Medical Research Council’s new London Institute of Medical Sciences building (MRC LMS) has completed another milestone recently with the final concrete pour of the reinforced concrete frame.
Between August 2020 and September 2020, split over six separate pours, 2,200m3 of concrete was placed with 470 tonnes of reinforcement to form the ground floor piled raft slab. Four pours of concrete were then cycled per floor, creating the structure’s eight storey reinforced concrete frame. In total the building has used 8,300m3 of concrete and 1,450 tonnes of reinforcement.
As the MRC LMS site is in the heart of Hammersmith Hospital, bordered by Ark Burlington Danes Academy, the ICH Trust and Imperial College buildings on three sides, careful scheduling of works and close liaison with the neighbours was required. In the ten storey laboratory to the south of our site, essential workers were conducting research, so noisy working measures were put in place to restrict work on the site’s south elevation for particular times of the day.
The next phase of construction is underway. Perimeter cladding is progressing up the building, floor by floor, and in the interior of the structure, internal partitions and the first fix of services has also commenced. Furthermore, a 220 tonnes steel frame will go atop the eighth floor to create two more levels to accommodate plant space.
Despite the restrictions made necessary by the COVID-19 pandemic, our site team has worked hard over the past months to stay on schedule for project completion in Summer 2022.