Carrick Street

G3 provided civil, structural and geo-environmental engineering services for this six storey flatted development in Ayr town centre. This is a project that seeks to ensure residents satisfaction, through the provision of high quality communal and amenity space.

Due to the constraints posed to the site by the adjacent properties and made ground, the development consists of a U-shaped building around a central courtyard with the properties served via balcony access from a single stairwell and lift. The balcony access was a key vision of the architectural design which would also serve as an amenity deck for the elderly residents who occupy the properties. The deck was designed to cantilever from the primary structure affording uninterrupted views over the courtyard. The feature balustrade was also a key aesthetic component of the balcony and again, G3 produced a structural design for this to reflected the architect’s concept.

The development is further enhanced by the inclusion of three roof gardens, accessed from the communal balcony. The key challenge for G3 was the support of the additional loads imposed on the concrete flat roof from the various planters positioned around the perimeter of the roof garden and the detailing of the associated balustrade. We worked closely with the architect and contractor to ensure that the structural design was aesthetically integrated to create a high quality amenity space.

This is a constrained town centre site with a history of previous development. By having our own in-house geo-environmental team involved from the start, we were able to identify solutions to challenges posed by the adjacent buildings, buried obstructions, services, and archaeology. Our civils team also played a key role in assessing the existing utilities at the site, providing advice to the architect to develop the layout in order to minimise cost where possible.

“Images courtesy of ARPL Architects and Ricky Rowe Future Architectural Lighting”.