Belfast

MBC - MEDICAL BIOLOGY CENTER 
Country: UK, Northern Ireland
Location: Belfast
Purpose:  science, healthcare, medicine
Main Contractor:  McLaughlin & Harvey
Architect:   Boswell Mitchell i Johnston
Our contribution: Performing static, fabrication and site project curtain walls.
Complete: 2018

The Project of reconstruction of the MBC (Medical Biology Center) Belfast’s headquarters included the construction of the internal space of the atrium, to connect original MBC tower with new teaching rooms, including the main hall and a block of lecture halls.   Integration new and already existing structures created a lot of engineering challenges, especially at the substructure level, since the existing structure of the skyscraper had a single-storey basement.   
Another element of redevelopment, which project was developed by Doran Consulting was upwards expansion already existing Medical Biology Center tower and the new building of the Faculty of Anatomy.

CONSTRUCTION
Work on the Department of Anatomy building included a vertical 6-story extension on top of the existing two-story structure to provide additional auxiliary and office rooms. The existing 2-story building for the Faculty of Anatomy has been designed to allow for future expansion. A new steel-framed extension was constructed on the roof of the building adjacent to the existing MBC tower and involved the creation of new entrances to the high-rise building for communication on each of the six levels.   
The work was complicated due to the extremely limited and restrictive location where the existing building of the Faculty of Anatomy was surrounded on all sides by other buildings. The need to maintain the usability of the Faculty of Anatomy building as well as the adjacent single-storey library which was also being expanded during this time further complicated the matter and required the use of additional security measures, including the use of a breakaway plate to secure the low roof of the library superstructure.   
The closed area precluded the use of scaffoldings, which led to the development of a composite system combining the glazing with the cladding as a facade to raise the building by 6 storeys. Renovation works required the removal of an existing concrete façade panels from the MBC tower block within the partition where the new extension of the Anatomy Department building adjointed the tower, and some structural alterations and strengthening of the building’s first floor level were also required.   
The building was constructed with a reinforced concrete frame that was selected to reduce acoustic vibration between spaces. The roof, which contained glazed skylights to bring natural light into the interior space, was formed from structural steel.