CONTENTS

PRECAST UTILISED IN GRAIN SILOS’ REVAMP

ERECTED IN 1960, THE HISTORIC KINGS WHARF GRAIN SILOS IN LAUNCESTON, TASMANIA, HAD BEEN UNUSED FOR DECADES UNTIL 2016 WHEN A PROJECT, CENTRED AROUND THE USE OF PRECAST, WAS INITIATED TO TRANSFORM THE SILO BARRELS INTO A STATE-OF-THE-ART HOTEL.

The new ten-story Peppers Silo Hotel comprises 108 rooms, 52 of which are located in the former silo barrels and 56 in a new North Tower. The $25-million development also features four apartments, a restaurant and café, a cocktail bar, conference facilities, a gymnasium, and an underground car park.

PRECAST SPECIFIED FOR AESTHETIC AND COST REDUCTION OUTCOMES
Precast was specified to complement the existing structure and cut costs. When embarking on the design journey, Artas Architects Principal Scott Curran, says the focus was on creating an aesthetic that complemented the existing structure and adjacent waterfront.

“The most important thing was opting for a building material that can achieve a high quality of finish and is maintenancefree,” Curran says. “We were working with the four large silos, and it was precast concrete that allowed us to complement these existing structures.”

“The most important thing was opting for a building material that can achieve a high quality of finish and is maintenance-free,” Curran says. “We were working with the four large silos, and it was precast concrete that allowed us to complement these existing structures.” Scott Curran, Principal, Artas Architects.

National Precast member, Duggans Precast, supplied the precast concrete elements for the development. The company manufactured $1.2 million of precast columns, lift shafts, structural wall panels, and façade wall panels. Opting for a precast solution saved approximately $2 million and two months off the total timeline.

A RANGE OF FINISHES ARTICULATES RIPPLED FACADE
A range of finishes have been applied to the precast façade panels; some have a smooth finish, some have exposed dolomite aggregate, some have been polished with oxide, and some have been manufactured with custom-made moulds.

Curran says the façade design mimics its Tamar River valley location. Inspired by the surrounding region, where tranquil waters meet the rugged earth, the design beautifully complements the hotel’s peaceful vista.

Peppers Silo Hotel: precast saved approximately $2 million and two months off the project’s timeline.

“While on the main façade we have contrasted a smooth and exposed aggregate finish, the end panels are a combination of polished and off-form panels, which create a ripple effect that reflects the same pattern as the river mudflats.” “Artas is really pleased with the consistency of finish and colour.”

STRUCTURAL BENEFITS
As well as delivering a beautiful aesthetic, precast also served a structural purpose.

The North Tower features precast façade panels that are supported from the edge of floor slabs using concrete corbels poured integrally with the panels for lower levels. Duggans’ Project Manager, Andrew Duggan, says in the North Tower, there are no traverse walls on the lower levels, so the horizontal load treatment includes portalised columns and lift shafts.

“Precast columns are located in the floors that have hotel rooms, to suit the desired layout,” says Duggan. “The lift shaft panels have been dowelled and stressed together vertically to resist earthquake and wind loads.”■

Sarah Bachmann, National Precast CEO

 

 

 

 


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