Eton College ESAC - Wiehag

Project Details

Project - Eton College ESAC

Sector - Education

Technology - Timber

Company - Wiehag

Project Overview

WIEHAG’s entry is for the detailed design, supply and installation of the Glulam and CLT package to form the structures to the sports hall, link and swimming pool buildings. The design consists of elegant Spruce Glulam portals with CLT roof slabs including their steel connectors and fixings, flitch columns to the glazed elevations and steel beams to complete the package. In late 2018 WIEHAG provided initial design and cost input to the design team and clients cost consultant and helped develop the design of the package to meet all of the project specification & performance requirements, as well as ensuring that it kept within the clients budget.

After a rigorous tender process, WIEHAG were appointed by GRAHAM in early 2020 and commenced their detailed design process in collaboration with Grahams and the design team. The installation started in late November 2020 and was completed in February 2021, so took place during the Brexit transition and the pandemic lockdowns, which WIEHAG were only able to successfully manage by working closely with GRAHAM, our installers, logistic partners and suppliers. Maximum prefabrication was used on
all components with all metalwork connectors and flitch members being factory fitted to enable fast and safe installation, and the roof beams included factory made notches to accommodate M&E services.

Due to the nature of the setting for the new structure, quality and finish of the product were of paramount importance, as most of the timber structure would all be left exposed. WIEHAG were able to meet the high expectations of Hopkins and Cundall’s design through the use of offsite products designed by WIEHAG’s in-house design engineering team using advanced design software and manufactured using high tech CNC machinery at WIEHAG’s state of the art factory in Austria.

There is no point in making a good product if it is not installed properly on site, so WIEHAG ensure we only use the best installers, and for this project Steve Coleman did a great job, especially considering the various challenges that the pandemic bought, and GRAHAM’s management of the site during the process greatly helped make this happen. 275m3 of Glulam and 170m3 of CLT were used in the package & delivered on a just in time basis to suit the restrictive nature of the site in 15 lorry loads.

The longest elements delivered were the eight 30.4m long Glulam beams used to form the pool roof, and delivering to this tight site was only possible through the close cooperation between GRAHAM’s, our logistic partners DFDS & WIEHAG. Despite the challenges, this exemplar project was delivered on time, safely, to budget and to a  quality that delighted the client.