Upwards extension for student halls

John Dodgson House, in Bidborough Street, London WC1, already provides accommodation for 150 students. The rooftop extension will add a further 64 bedrooms,

A partnership of Mansell Construction and off-site construction specialist Premier Interlink (Waco UK) has been appointed to carry out the multi-million pound project.

The 1950s sandstone-faced building will have a contemporary update comprising of the construction of a 5th and 6th floor modular building, with plant rooms above.  The two-storey, 64-bay extension is being described as the first roof top extension of its type.

It will be supported on a structural steel grillage with steel columns sprung from new piled pad foundations in the basement. The 64 new bedrooms will be clad in composite panels encased with a facade of solar panelled, non-reflective glass and fitted out internally to FF&E standards, complete with bathroom/shower pod and plastered ready for decoration.

Premier Interlink will produce a sample pre-production module/room as a test bed for design analysis ready for the client’s approval.

The modules will be lifted into place by crane.

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