Situated on Oxford Street, London, Park House is to become the address of a mix of luxurious apartments, shops and offices. One of the major challenges in the construction of the building, however, was its proximity to Marble Arch Tube Station, as this resulted in vibration and noise from the trains. Needing a solution, the architects turned to Trelleborg.
To meet the requirements, the building now rests on 363 rubber bearings measuring 500mm square and 140mm high. These were installed at the sub-basement level, under the building’s two central cores, and carry a 28,000-metric-ton vertical load.
Elsewhere there are three different types of bearing in use.
The highest level of noise and vibration isolation is needed on the third floor, where the luxury accommodation begins. The steel columns here are supported by high-specification bearings included in 44 modular steel assemblies, some of which weigh more than two metric tons. There are bearing assemblies at lower levels to isolate the towers and several hundred smaller bearings, 110mm across, fitted on the second floor to ensure that the exterior cladding cannot transmit vibrations from below.
For one of the most complex challenges at Park House the company developed a state-of-the-art solution using specialised ‘flat jack’ technology to install bearings that will restrain any horizontal forces. This was in used to aid the installation of the horizontally acting bearings around the perimeter of the two cores.
Trelleborg
