Photo credit: Hufton Crow

A13 Artscape Project – Pump Control

House, Barking and Dagenham
Building Design: de Paor Architects
Lighting Design: Clare Brew

The A13 Artscape project aims to improve conditions for residents,

workers, pedestrians and drivers along a 6 km stretch of the A13 trunk
road in east London. Various artworks have been incorporated into road
improvement works including two pedestrian subways, two roundabouts
and an underpass. The pump control house contains electrical equipment
Photo credit: Hufton Crow to operate pumps which remove rainwater from the bottom of a six-lane
underpass.

Eight 160 mm thick pre-cast concrete panels are supported off a steel
frame of 150 150 10 mm angle posts with 200 90 mm channel
horizontal members. From the outside the panels interlock and appear to
form a solid mass fl oating slightly above the grass. The roof is profi led
galvanised steel decking on purlins with two aluminium framed roof lights
all hidden below the tops of the slabs. The concrete is made from white
cement with Portland stone aggregate. The surface has been acid etched,
polished and then sealed with an anti-graffi ti coating. The access doors
are 85 mm thick pre-cast concrete panels cast into a 150 75 10 mm
steel angle frame. Three 280 mm high, concealed hinges are bolted to
the doors and to the steel frame. All internal steelwork is painted bright
Crow

orange.
Photo credit: Hufton

Cast into the concrete are 456 solid 40 mm diameter acrylic rods. Millions
of different colours can be created by nine red, green and blue LEDs
mounted in a case which fi ts over the back of each rod. A computer in the
control house can be remotely programmed with changing sequences. Light
seems to glow from within the concrete as if the building is pumping with
Photo credit: Hufton Crow colour.
 10
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Photo credit: Graham Bizley
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Exploded view of pump control house

1. Steel frame frames made from 150 75 10 mm steel

Site plan, scale 1:2000
Floor plan, scale 1:100
150 150 10 mm angle posts in corners.
200 90 mm horizontal parallel fl ange channel.
Steel painted with zinc-rich epoxy shop primer,
micaceous iron oxide shop intermediate coat
and two top coats on site.
2. Precast Concrete Panels
Eight 160 mm precast concrete panels hung off
steel frame on mild steel brackets.
10 mm gap between top and bottom panels
filled with recessed double mastic seal.
Top and bottom panels located together by
threaded stainless steel dowels set in grout.
Panels made from C40 concrete with white
cement and Portland stone aggregate.
10 10 mm chamfers on all external arises.
All exposed faces acid-etched, polished and
sealed with anti-graffi ti coating.
3. Concrete panel cleats
150 mm length bracket made from
200 100 10 mm steel angle bolted to posts.
Vertically slotted holes in long leg and
horizontally slotted holes in short leg to allow
adjustment on site.
Concrete panels bolted to brackets via cast-in
channels on rear.
4. Door over-panel support
2010 mm length 80 80 10 mm steel angle
bracket welded to 150 75 10 mm steel
angle cast into underside of concrete panel
over door and bolted to steel frame on shims.
5. Concrete doors
Two inward opening 85 mm thick precast
concrete doors cast into 2090 990 mm
angles.
5
6. Door hinges
Three 280 mm long 3-fl ag stainless steel hinges 1
per leaf.
Three 280 100 10 mm steel plates welded
to door frame and bolted to hinges.
Three 150 135 135 mm brackets welded 6
up from 10 mm fl ats bolted to steel posts and
bolted to hinges.
7. Lighting
210 mm long 40 mm diameter acrylic rods
cast into concrete panel (115 each side).
Nine 24 volt LEDs (3 red, 3 blue, 3 green) wired
back to control panel.
80 mm long 60 mm diameter aluminium cap
to fit on to end of acrylic rod and enclose LED
fittings creating heat sink for LED circuit pad.
Clip-in plug fi tting.
8. Electrical supply
50 25 mm horizontal galvanised steel cable
trays at approx. 450 mm centres fi xed to rear of
concrete panels.
9. Roof
0.9 mm guage galvanised steel profi led sheet
roof on four 122 mm deep Z-section purlins.
Two 3500 950 mm proprietary aluminium
framed glazed roofl ights.
10. Flashings
Pressed metal fl ashings shot-fi red to concrete.
Flashing stops 10 mm short of front face of Cut-away section through corner
panels and falls to inside.