Buro Happold oversees challenging ground investigation
Buro Happold ground engineers took part in a dramatic performance at the home of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in Stratford-upon-Avon.
The practice’s Geotechnical team carried out a challenging ground investigation to explore what lies beneath a proposed basement that is part of a wider £100m project to remodel the RSC’s Grade II* listed Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Work on the scheduled transformation is due to start in spring 2007.
The preliminary ground investigation involved two rigs being driven through the front doors and Scott foyer into the 1932 auditorium, so that a 20m borehole could be drilled. The work took place within an 88-hour timeslot between shows, with the engineers working round the clock to ensure it was completed on time.
Buro Happold job leader and senior structural engineer, Andrew Wylie, said: “Drilling a borehole inside the auditorium was challenging to say the least. Not only is it a Grade II* listed building, we also had such a tight timeframe in which to do the work without disturbing rehearsals or performances.”
Buro Happold geotechnical engineer Charlotte Jones supervised site operations, which were undertaken by Geotechnics Limited. Two teams, comprising a drilling crew and supervising engineer, split 12-hour shifts in order to complete the drilling and clean up operation in line with the programme.
Buro Happold is providing multi-disciplinary structural, building services, geotechnical, fire and civil engineering services to enable the RSC to perform in a modern theatre best suited to its future needs. Indeed, the ambition is to create ‘the best theatre for Shakespeare in the world’.
The new theatre will be a modern take on the courtyard theatres of Shakespeare’s day, with a thrust stage auditorium that will seat just over 1,000 people. This will improve the relationship between audiences and actors by bringing them closer together, reducing the distance from the stage of the furthest seat from 27 to 15 metres.
A seven metre-deep basement is to be constructed below the thrust stage for performance reasons, allowing the actors and props to appear from under the stage. The new basement will connect into the existing fly tower and the orchestra pit basement.
Although there has been a permanent theatre on the site since 1879, a desk study on the site identified that it was historically occupied by a canal basin. With the expected poor ground conditions associated with this historical use, undertaking ground investigations has proved important for designing the proposed basement.
An earlier series of ground investigations was carried out around the theatre sites to assess the make up of the underlying ground. These investigations, including boreholes and trial pits, have informed the design of the foundations for the buildings.
Charlotte Jones said: “Although we had information from boreholes surrounding the theatre, drilling in the auditorium was essential because we needed information about the ground directly beneath the proposed basement in order to design it.
“At present it is proposed to form the basement wall using secant bored piles, with pile lengths designed using the results from the ground investigation around the theatre. However, the results of the auditorium borehole have highlighted that the depth to the competent mudstone appears significantly deeper than assumed based on the boreholes drilled outside the theatre. This has both cost and design implications.”
The success of this project has been attributed to the amount of pre-planning and team working between the consultant (Buro Happold); client (Royal Shakespeare Company); and contractor (Geotechnics Limited). Planning of the work started more than six weeks before the identified break between shows. During the investigation, which took place in mid-November, a representative from each party was usually present. This meant that when problems arose they could be solved quickly to ensure that the drilling continued apace and was completed to schedule.
The RSC submitted a planning application for the transformation scheme by architects Bennetts Associates in December 2006.
Ends
Buro Happold
Press office and practice information at www.burohappold.com
For images of the ground investigation or more detailed information, please contact:
Louise Hawgood
Press officer
Tel +44 (0)1225 320600 ext.2178
Fax +44 (0)8707 874148
Email louise.hawgood@burohappold.com
Buro Happold is a multi-disciplinary international practice of consulting engineers established in 1976. It offers civil and structural engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering, quantity surveying, building services and environmental engineering, health and safety management, infrastructure and traffic engineering, ground engineering, façade engineering, fire engineering, computational fluid dynamics analysis, disability design consultancy, project management, urban design and a range of specialist CAD services.
Royal Shakespeare Company
For further information about the RSC’s transformation, visit www.rsc.org.uk/transformation/ or contact:
Kirsten Johnson
Communications Manager
Tel +44 (0)1789 412 668
Email kirsten.johnson@rsc.org.uk
