The Bison wall-frame construction system was a construction method used prolifically in tower block construction in the postwar period. After two years of development, it was launched in 1963 by Concrete Ltd who experienced massive demand for the system and set up strategically-placed factories across the UK to accommodate it.
The name was confusing, in that there was was not a frame structure as such, instead pre-cast concrete panels formed the structure of the building. It was used primarily in the construction of tower blocks and could not be used in the construction of low rise blocks such as maisonettes. In tower blocks over 12 storeys in height, all of the walls were loadbearing - external and internal. Whilst there were no partition walls, the internal walls were still thinner at 6 inches in thickness. Developed to better suit tower block construction in the 1960s, the Bison method evolved into a rapid construction method. This was largely due to the fact that two-bedroom flats could be constructed out of 21 pre-cast concrete pieces, which was a very low number. The bathroom and toilet elements could be constructed from very few pre-fabricated pieces. Also, the lift shaft and staircases could be constructed out of 3 storey high pieces. However, the construction method's downfall was that it was only really practical for two and three-bedroom flats.
Examples include the Riverside Place estate in Ayr.