The Botanics, Queen Margaret Drive

The Botanics on Queen Margaret Drive is located on the former grounds of the BBC studios and a stones-throw away from The Botanical Gardens in Glasgow.

The project brought acclaimed luxury residential units to the area, winning the Homes for Scotland Award in 2018 for medium-sized private development of the year.

Challenge

The main consideration at The Botanics was the prestige of the project and the discerning residents. The project was largely occupied by architects, so the specification had to be met to a very high standard.

There was also limited space on site and, as the project was in Glasgow, the balconies had to be transported a significant distance safely and efficiently.

Solution

Our high quality control standards ensured that all balconies were prefinished right, passing a series of checks before being released to site. Our offsite manufacturing process enabled these high quality standards to be maintained consistently within a controlled factory environment before being transferred to a secure storage facility.

Offsite manufacture was also vital in overcoming the space restrictions at the site. All balconies were produced ahead of the agreed date and securely stored, ready to be called to site as needed. Once the site was ready the balconies were carefully loaded on to flatbed lorry trailers with a custom loading plan to ensure they would make the journey to Glasgow safely. This meant the balconies could be delivered to site in stages and installed quickly, avoiding the need for onsite storage or programme delays. Each balcony was securely wrapped to protect them.

Installation Process

Step 1: Cast in anchors were cast into the slab & incorporated thermal break connections using templates to ensure position accuracy within the RC frame.

Step 2: Cassette® balconies were prefinished offsite, including the balustrades, decking & soffits.

Step 3: Cassette® balconies were transported with balconies ‘nested’ onto each pallet making transport both cost effective & safe. Balconies were pre-slung offsite ready for installation upon arrival.

Step 4: Once lifted into position, the Cassettes® simply Glide-On™ to the pre-erected support arms, before completing the simple mechanical fixings.