Angel Gardens

December 3, 2019

Angel Gardens is a 466-unit residential complex in the heart of Manchester and part of the growing build-to-rent sector within the UK. The development includes four six-storey blocks and a 35-storey tower which cantilevers from level eight upwards to maximise the building’s footprint. All five buildings are linked by atrium bridges behind fully glazed sections down to ground level.

Although the project was originally designed as reinforced concrete, CCL was asked to examine the possibility that post-tensioning (PT) could help to manage the loading and deflection challenges of the design while speeding up installation.

As well as accelerating the construction schedule, use of PT reduced slab thickness at each level on the low-rise buildings by 35 mm and by 45 mm on the tower. This resulted in a reduction of 1610 m3 of concrete used across the project and a consequent reduction in the loads to the foundations from the PT slabs of around 15%. It also led to a saving of over 1000 tonnes in the slabs’ loose reinforcement.

In total 63 PT slabs were designed and installed on the project and were completed in 130 individual concrete pours.

Read more about the project which was featured in the Concrete magazine.