St Francis Tower, Ipswich

High-Rise Access Scaffold

DH Scaffold Services Ltd was appointed to design a full perimeter access scaffold for re-cladding works at St Francis Tower in Ipswich. The scheme provided continuous façade access around the high-rise residential block, with the arrangement developed to suit the building’s geometry, site constraints and proposed work sequence.

The challenge

The scaffold’s height and loading requirements made overall stability, wind loading and the transfer of forces through the scaffold important design considerations. The uprights, bracing and ties needed to work together to support the working platforms and provide restraint throughout the intended sequence.

A low-level canopy on the front elevation introduced a further constraint. The scaffold needed to bridge over this feature while maintaining continuity of access to the façade above.

Our design response

DH Scaffold Services Ltd developed a perimeter scaffold incorporating double uprights, with bracing and tie arrangements designed to address the specified loading and wind actions. The engineering assessment considered load paths and connection requirements to transfer forces into suitable support and restraint points.

At the front elevation, we designed a bridging arrangement over the canopy to carry the scaffold above. This required consideration of the spanning members, their connections and the concentrated loads transferred into the supporting scaffold.

Our design package included general arrangement drawings, key details and structural calculations addressing loading, overall stability, tie patterns and the canopy bridging. Design requirements relating to erection and alteration sequencing were also included to inform the scaffold contractor’s planning.

The project demonstrates our experience of designing high-rise access scaffolds where substantial loading demands and local building features must be addressed within a coordinated arrangement.