Megaframe: External Structural Steelwork System of the Leadenhall Building

Overview

The Leadenhall Building is an office development in the City of London by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. The external structural system of the 51-storey tower is unique and pioneering with a view to the integration of architecture and engineering. Since 2005, Dirk Krolikowski has led the design, development and delivery of the Leadenhall Building’s structural stability system, the Megaframe.

The structural system innovates in three areas of architectural design: (1) the integration of architectural and structural requirements to achieve the desired tectonic expression and incorporate architectural interface requirements; (2) the development of a digital workflow that integrates a scattered software ecology in a multi-model environment to facilitate the development of a comprehensive digital prototype; (3) the development of a design approach that enables separation of the service core system and the structural stability system while maintaining the desired architectural language.

The building design won first prize in the 122 Leadenhall Street Competition, a major international architectural competition. The team won the Bentley Excellence Award (2007) for the exemplary implementation of digital tools.

People

Dirk Krolikowski
View Dirk's profile
Send Dirk an email