Supporting Wates in the construction of the new Life and Mind Building

In 2022, Wates contacted Tufcoat to develop a strategy for enclosing the reinforced concrete frame of the Life and Mind Building (LaMB) at the University of Oxford.
This state-of-the-art facility, which is due for completion in 2024, will house the Department of Biology and the Department of Experimental Psychology, providing space for 800 students and 1,200 researchers.
The challenge was set. Wates required the supply and installation of shrink-wrap construction screens on multiple floors of the building. This weatherproofing solution, to be deployed between January and March 2023, would be crucial to keeping the project on schedule and allowing internal fit-out work to begin earlier than initially planned.

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

• Creating a subframe 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, with the second fix concerning 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.

However, despite the challenging environment, the project was delivered on time, with additional works continuing through the rest of 2023.

Several benefits have been realised, both by Wates and Tufcoat:

• Early commencement of fit-out works: The shrink-wrap screens allowed portions of the internal fit-out to begin earlier than initially planned.
• Unhindered external work: The perimeter corridor created by the screens enabled the cladding contractor to install the building envelope without disrupting ongoing internal work.
• Skills development: As one of the first projects of its kind since the pandemic, it allowed Tufcoat to train and supervise a new team in screen installation, updating their expertise for future projects.