If you haven’t been to the Plain for a while, you’ll be struck by the progress Gilbert-Ash has made on the new Waynflete Quad.
Last month, the concrete base slabs had just been poured, and the ground-floor walls for the first set of bedrooms were being put in place.
Today, Building A, the one closest to the road, has reached its first floor. The stair cores are in place, the first bedrooms have taken shape, and the multi-purpose riverside room now has a roof.
The neighbouring building, which will feature the tower, has progressed at a similar pace, and for the first time it’s possible to appreciate the scale and character of the central quad. The quiet and shade it will provide would be especially welcome on a hot day like today.
The recent heat has brought its own challenges, particularly when it comes to the concrete. Ideally, concrete needs to cure slowly, but that’s harder to achieve during prolonged periods of hot weather. The issue isn’t insurmountable, but measures such as wrapping the concrete in wet hessian inevitably slow the process.
With construction firmly on track, we expect the core concrete structure of the two main buildings to be complete by November, ready for a topping-out ceremony.
We’ll continue to share regular updates as the project reaches this and other important milestones over the coming months.