Construction of the new 300,000 square foot Murphy Radio Factory began in October 1953. The first contract was for the production shop, boiler house, annexes, roads, drainage and external site work. The production shop featured roofs of cantilever shell concrete spanning the width of the building, which had clerestories of glazing facing east and west in order to ensure maximum daylight reached the working areas. Post tensioned beams were fixed to edge beams above the roof valley to create walkways between the clerestory lights. The photograph also shows timber sheathing and steel cables for post tensioned cross-valley walls. The timber sheathing was attached to shuttering used to support the concrete roof during concreting.
This image was catalogued as part of the Breaking New Ground Project in partnership with the John Laing Charitable Trust in 2019-20.
This is part of the Series: JLP01/08 John Laing Photographic Collection Black and White Negatives; within the Collection: JLP01 John Laing Photographic Collection
Source: Historic England Archive
Roof, Mid 20th Century Factory, Construction
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