Shopping centre’s fast floor

Installation of a mezzanine floor at the White Rose shopping centre in Leeds has created an extra 3000m² of retail space.

A total of 6.5km of 300mm deep Metsec lightweight steel lattice joists were used to create the floor, designed for a total imposed load of 5.0kN/m² and spanning a maximum of 7.3m.

Flush fitting timber inserts to the top and bottom chords allowed easy fixing of the chipboard floor finish above and plasterboard ceiling underneath.

Metsec joists were specified because their high strength-to-weight ratio meant shallow beams could carry the high imposed load. The open webs of the beams also made service installation easy and will allow flexibility to change the services later.

Metsec introduced a special night shift as the most efficient way of manufacturing and delivering over 1000 joists within a tight eight-week deadline.