Construction
Construction
Construction of the building is underway and on target, on the Butts site in Worcester. The first few construction processes have been outlined below.
The Topping Out Ceremony for The Hive took place on Monday 24 January 2011. The practice of 'topping out' originates from the ancient Scandinavian religious practice of placing a tree on the top of a new building to appease the tree-dwelling spirits of their ancestors that had been displaced. Today it is used to celebrate a significant milestone in a new building's construction.
Installation of footbridge - September 2011
The next phase of construction has been completed with the installation of a new footbridge at the site on Sunday 18 September.
The new bridge connects The Hive with the existing Crowngate shopping centre, passing over the Butts at the southern end of the city centre. It completes an entirely pedestrian link between the Cathedral and the University’s City Campus.
The span of the bridge is 20 metres and stands over six metres from the ground. A 100-tonne crane was brought in to put the structure into place on Sunday morning.
The bridge features the same golden cladding tiles that adorn the rest of the roof at The Hive, providing an eye-catching landmark for the city.
Strongrooms constructed - June-August 2010
In brief:
-Seven strongrooms constructed
-Will hold all of the County's archive collections on one site for the first time
-Space to accommodate growth of the archive collections
-The collections sit on 12 miles of shelving
Tower crane Tower crane
Tower crane
Tower crane - April-September 2010
In brief:
-Measures 42 metres high
-Spans 45 metres wide
-Can lift up to 6 tonnes in weight
-Crane is being used to lift the steel reinforcement and concrete for the structural frame
Piling process - February - March 2010
In brief:
-Acts as “legs” for the building to stand on
-Over 400 piles, each 8-metres long or more, driven into the ground
-Environmentally aware within the process
Strongrooms in detail...
The strong rooms are large enough to hold all of the County's archive collections in one place for the first time ever – totaling 12-miles of shelving and holding manuscripts, books, maps, plans, photographs and audiovisual material. There will also be additional space within the strongrooms to allow for growth of the collections in the future.
The 7 strongrooms will provide a secure environment for the archives, with the temperature and humidity controlled to preserve the collections and prevent them from deteriorating. One of the strongrooms has different environmental conditions to the others, so that photographs, CDs, tapes and other digital media can be stored in the best conditions for them.
Moving the collections from their 4 current locations to The Hive will take 3 months and a detailed timetable is being planned to achieve this safely and efficiently. Housing all the archives in one location – along with the rich range of resources at The Hive - will ensure that all those with an interest in the County's history can access the information they want quickly and easily.
Tower crane in detail...
At the moment, the crane is lifting steel reinforcement and concrete, which will provide the superstructure of the building. This will make up the walls, floors and columns of the five-storey building.
Around 500 cubi
c metres of concrete per week are being poured onto the site to build the structure of the centre – this is equivalent to around one swimming pool each week!
The construction team are exposing the concrete frame, so the structure that you can see on site now will be the finished product, meaning the quality and finish at this stage is better quality than normally expected.
The team are looking to be as sustainable as possible, finding alternative materials to use other than cement for the concrete mix. 50% cement replacement made from waste products from power stations has been included in the mix, and the stone used is recycled aggregate, taken from other buildings which have been demolished rather than using freshly quarried stone. These materials help to reduce the environmental impact of the project.
The crane will later be used to help lift seven large cones which will be added to the roof to signify the Malvern Hills.
The crane can be seen from many different points in the city, including the cricket ground, where it has been the topic of conversation on many occasions with and the commentators there!
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