Buro Happold designs 35,000m2 tensioned membrane roof for Ashford Retail Centre
Buro Happold Consulting Engineers provided membrane structural design, geotechnical, and civil engineering, and structural engineering advice to BAA McArthurGlen (Ashford) Ltd for the £25m Ashford Retail Centre, a factory outlet centre located on the outskirts of Ashford, Kent. Built on the brownfield site of a former railway goods yard and designed by architects Richard Rogers Partnership, the centre opens to shoppers on March 16th, 2000.
A 35,000m2 tensioned membrane roof, designed by Buro Happold, provides cover to retail units and shoppers below. The roof is iconographic through tall steelwork masts, and its 'sensitive' shape is seen to rise out of the surrounding landscape. A 1km long horseshoe, the building wraps the central car park ensuring easy visitor orientation and a consistent rear elevation. A front 'lip' to the canopy provides a continuous, sheltered promenade for visitors allowing them to move around the development in comfort. A series of masts and continuous cable hangers support the peaks of the canopy, containing tension forces into a ring in order to minimise the impact of the building system upon the ground level supports.
Varying sizes of retail unit and a foodcourt were accommodated within the building in accordance with the client business case. The canopy was designed to respond to these variations, by rising and falling in height and by changing in width; a second order 'rhythm' was developed in the repetitive system of primary support masts and a 5,000 sq.m area was opened out to form the space for the foodcourt.
Paul Westbury, group director of Buro Happold's Special Structures division, said, 'Because Buro Happold is a multidisciplinary engineering consultancy, we were able to advise the architect and Client on realising a 'total' solution. Reclaiming the brownfield site and delivering the full design in-house were essential if we were to develop a product in accordance with the client's brief, within both the budget and planning constraints. This was an exciting project. Our work on the Ashford Retail Centre
demonstrates the benefits of innovative engineering for retail design, enhancing building performance and value.'
Construction began in Kent, UK, England in January, 1998.
Architect:
Richard Rogers Partnership
Membrane structural design, geotechnical, civil and structural engineering advice:
Buro Happold
ME Engineering:
John Brady Associates
QS:
Davis Langdon & Everest
Planning Supervisor:
Cameron Taylor Bedford
Project Management:
BAA McArthurGlen UK Ltd
Contractors:
Galliford Northern
Westbury Tubular Structures
Landrell Fabric Engineering
