Cockerill Maintenance & Ingénierie

This building of 8,500 m² is an extension to the CMI design offices, previously accommodated in the castle.

Although this new administrative building is a private project, it fits within a broader context of the urban regeneration of the town of Seraing.

It is being built next to CMI’s castle on the site of the existing workshops; part of the shed roof and a façade of these workshops are being retained, but with a different function. The structure consists mainly of steel beams and columns, with floors made of prestressed concrete elements and rigid reinforced concrete cores.

Because the building is located on the alluvial plain of the river Meuse, the foundations sit on Meuse gravel, or, in the case of heavy loads, on the underlying bedrock.

The striking feature of the structure is the large projection comprised of metal lattice girders on the south-western corner, where new urban development will shortly take place.

Three of these lattice girders are installed along the façades within the building. They rest on a primary girder that transfers the load to a prestressed concrete structure supported directly by the bedrock at a depth of ten metres.

The initial works phase consists of demolishing the workshops, retaining the façade on the park side and part of the shed roof. This required major work to maintain the chateau’s power supplies during construction, as the high-voltage transformers and the gas expansion room are located within the demolition zone.

The building has a gross area of 8,500 m² spread over five levels. The new elevations are made up of highly-insulated curtain walls lined with a metal skin, in which the percentage of openings is calculated to optimise natural light and limit solar gain.

Hot water is produced by two high-efficiency condensing gas boilers. Chilled water is produced by a water condenser chiller unit, combined with an air cooler.

The heating and cooling of the various areas is provided by dynamic beams (hot and cold). Cooling is limited to periods when the inside temperature exceeds 28ºC. Natural ventilation mid-season, assisted by centralised technical control and a weather station helps to reduce auxiliary equipment consumption.

Two dual-flow air handling units, equipped with heat recovery wheels, channel healthy fresh air directly into the dynamic beams.

Rainwater management includes a green roof which assists with water retention and limits discharge into the sewers. A rainwater recovery tank supplies the WCs and is used for watering and cleaning.

A new high-voltage room has been created to house the three recovered high-voltage transformers, giving a total output of 1,760 kVA.

Light fittings in the offices have fluorescent bulbs with high-frequency electronic ballast and are operated by movement detectors. The lamps on the outside walls include sensors for measuring light levels, meaning the lamp’s output can be adjusted to maintain a constant lighting level and so take advantage of natural light.

The whole building is equipped with a general fire detection system to NBN S 21-100, an anti-intrusion installation on the main ground floor access points, and an access control system.