OUR WORK
XSCAPE – MILTON KEYNES & CASTLEFORD
Xscape, Milton Keynes is the ultimate entertainment destination offering a unique combination of extreme sports and leisure activities, it boasts country’s biggest indoor REAL snow slopes, Europe’s first purpose-built body flying tunnel! , rock climbing walls, bowling, multiplex cinema, gym and a fitness centre, numerous bars and restaurants and urban retail outlets all under one roof.
Atom Consultants were commissioned by steel fabricators Severfield plc. to design the structural steel frame for this Faulkner Browns Architects designed superstructure aimed to resemble an icy-blue, snow-capped mountain. 400 tonnes of structural steelwork was required to be erected each week by the principal contractor Sir Robert McAlpine.
The simple and distinctive geometric shape, which provides an envelope around the building takes a form of a slice cut off a cylinder at an angle of 9.6 degrees. The main feature inside the building is a real snow ski slope, perched high above the cinema, and draping down at 10 and 15 degree angles towards the ground floor. The shape of the building and the layout of the facilities inside meant that there was very little repetition in the element being designed.
Each of the cinemas required large uninterrupted spaces, hence a regular column grid could not be maintained throughout the building, and required large transfer beams and trusses to take up loading from the roof, ski slope and cinema lids to a regular 7.5 m grid within the shopping mall area. The complexity of the project exhibited itself in the set up of the structural members (well over 10,000 in total) and the choice of the section sizes. BIM was used throughout the project, and ultimately 30% reduction in tender estimate of the steel tonnage was achieved (out of a total of 5,000!), making this project an echelon of an efficient design, proving to be very cost-effective for the client Capital & Regional.
Xscape Castleford in West Yorkshire near Leeds, is the second generation of Xscape developments, establishing the brand as a firm destination for extreme sports and niche-market retail expereince. This 36,000m2 scheme, with a 38m tall front façade houses an large atrium to house various retail and eating establishments, an of course the all- important 170m long real snow ski slope. Atom Consultants played an integral part in the design of the structure for Xscape Castleford working alongside the contractor Shepherd (now Wates) for the steel fabricator Billington Structures.
SPORT & LEISURE:
OTHER PROJECTS
Sidi Krir 3 & 4 Power Plant, Alexandria, Egypt
Sidi Krir 3&4 power plant, a 685 MW natural gas-fired power complex, located 30 km west of Alexandria, is Egypt’s first BOOT (Build-Operate-Own-Transfer) power project and is one of the largest private power stations in the Middle East.
Trinity Walk Shopping Centre- Wakefield
The 46,000 m2, £59 million Trinity Walk Shopping Centre in Wakefield West Yorkshire, described by Wakefield Council as “the most important City Centre development for more than 20 years”, boasts more than 40 stores and 1000 car parking spaces right in the heart of Wakefield, transforming the city into a sub-regional shopping destination.
ASDA Eco Stores- Shaw and Bootle
ASDA (part of the Wal-Mart Stores Inc.) has long strived to become 100% energy efficient, hence they were the first in UK to build a sustainable timber -framed store, which is 20% more energy efficient than their traditional stores, as well as lowers the store’s carbon footprint by as much as 50 per cent. We developed the designs for the prototype, which were to become a blueprint for all ASDA’s future eco-stores.
1 Spinningfields Square, Manchester, RBS regional headoffice
Creating a perfect canvas for the Royal Bank of Scotland brand, their 11.431 m2 customer-facing facility is a landmark building on the edge of the Spinningfields development in Manchester. Referred to as the Canary Wharf of Manchester, the unashamedly modern grade A office accommodation creates a real presence on to Deansgate and the Spinningfields Square.
SPINNINGFIELDS – MANCHESTER: PLOT 202- GENERAL MEDICAL COUNCIL BUILDING
Over the last decade Spinningfields has evolved to become the home for over 165 commercial organisations.The commercial building on No. 3 Hardman Street houses offices for General Medical Council, Deloite and DMF, as well as retail outlets and ground floor underground parking. Atom Consultants lent their hand with BIM co-ordination
Ark All Saints Academy & Highshore School, Southwark, London
Ark All Saints Academy and the adjoining Highshore complex mixed needs special secondary school situated in Camberwell
Bombardier Transportation – Wakefield
Bombardier is the world’s leading manufacturer of both planes and trains. Their vast offering of products includes trains, rail equipment and control solutions for all market segments, as well as category-defining business jets and commercial aircraft. Atom Consultants were commissioned to design the extension and redevelopment of their Bombardier Prorail site in Horbury near Wakefield, where their class 220 Voyagers were built.
DAVID LLOYD LEISURE CLUBS
Atom Consultants has designed 3 of the Next Generation Clubs, now known as David Lloyd Leisure Clubs. David Lloyd Leisure is synonymous with high quality fitness facilities, employing some 6,000 staff, including an expert health and fitness team of over 1,800 and the contracted services of over 450 tennis professionals. Their racquets facilities are second to none with 800 tennis courts, 180 badminton courts and 140 squash courts across the UK.
Chill Factore – Manchester:
The Faulkner Browns Architects’ designed indoor ski centre Chill Factore is home to the UK’s longest (180m) indoor skiing and snowboarding slope and the coolest family day out in the North West. The development of an Alternative Design Scheme for the primary structure by Atom Consultants helped to bring this project within budget for the main contractor Sir Robert McAlpine.