CERAM Tests Keep Round Foundry Standing

Experts at CERAM recently led an investigation to ensure the sensitive restoration of one of the most historically significant buildings in Leeds, which is now a vibrant focal point of city life and includes a mixed development of apartments, café-bars and office space.

The Round Foundry was the first site where all of the trades needed for making static steam engines were assembled. Although the buildings are listed as being of historic importance they were all generally in quite poor condition. The redevelopment of the site had to be done sympathetically, retaining what was valuable with a reasonable economic predicted life.

CERAM led an investigation to appraise the brickwork buildings, the cast and wrought iron internal columns and beams and the magnificent Queen Post Trusses in the roof structure.

CERAM's Geoff Edgell explained; "As the Round Foundry is a series of listed buildings the amount of sampling that was possible was very limited. Consequently obtaining truly representative samples was difficult. It was the desire of the conservationists to retain as much of the original buildings as possible, but clearly there was enough evidence of frost failure to condemn most brickwork, carefully balanced judgement was needed."

Testing carried out by CERAM included; chemical analysis of hydraulic lime mortars; core drilling of structural arches; frost resistance testing on exposed brickwork and in-situ load testing of brickwork. The results were used to plan the best way forward for the redevelopment. For example; in the Fire Proof Mill, so called because of the brickwork arch floors, each spanning between wrought iron beams, it was established that the brickwork was inadequate to support new floor loads and was hence used as permanent formwork for a new concrete floor.

The results of CERAM's testing and analysis enabled the engineers and developers to successfully plan and complete this flagship project.
What was a set of buildings becoming derelict in a rather unpleasant part of Leeds, albeit close to the City Centre, has now become a fashionable area to live and to work with some important history embodied in the buildings.

Andrew Clay, Centre Manager for the Round Foundry Media Centre said: "The historical elements work very well and give an established feel to a modern environment for modern business".