Shrink-wrap construction screens installation at Oxford University

The largest building project the University of Oxford has undertaken to date.

Wates contacted Tufcoat to develop a strategy for enclosing the reinforced concrete frame with shrink-wrap construction screens during the building of the new Life and Mind Building (LaMB) at the University of Oxford. This state-of-the-art facility, due to open in 2025, will house the Department of Biology and the Department of Experimental Psychology, providing space for 800 students and 1,200
researchers.

Wates required the supply and installation of shrink-wrap construction screens on multiple floors within the building. This weatherproofing solution, deployed between January and March 2023, was crucial to keeping the project on schedule and allowing internal fit-out work to begin earlier than initially planned.

Tufcoat developed a plan to install shrink-wrap construction screens on four floors (ground to third floor) of the Life and Mind Building. The process involved:

• Creating a sub-frame using timber between the slab and column apertures.
• Sandwiching the shrink-wrap to create weatherproof construction screens.
• Installing screens three meters back from the slab edge.
• Providing personnel access at stairways and materials access at Canti-decks.

The Tufcoat team completed the installation in two stages. The first fix involved pre-drilling the concrete frame for timber fixings followed by the hanging and securing of the flame-retardant shrink-wrap. Each floor presented unique challenges, with perimeters of approximately 112 meters and varying heights between 3.5 and 4.5 metres. Meanwhile, the project was made more demanding due to the absence of a hoist; all materials and equipment had to be moved by crane, requiring careful planning at least 48 hours in advance due to the high demand for crane time.

Barry Kirkham from Tufcoat, commenting on the project;

“Despite the challenging environment, we delivered the project on time whilst the construction project evoloved around us. Thanks to the screens install, portions of the internal fit-out began earlier than initially planned, with external works carried out by the cladding contractor progressing unhindered due to the positioning of the screens. It was a win-win situation for the construction teams.”