World Class Civil Engineering in Yorkshire | Article
Alan Wood and Partners have delivered a significant portfolio of projects on behalf of clients in the tourism sector including The Deep in Hull and The Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Wakefield.
They also enjoy a close association with conservation bodies such as English Heritage, delivering services including conservation engineering and consulting engineering.
Alan Wood and Partners completed the extension concept project for The Deep, Hull.
The task was to extend the building, which consisted of infilling the space between the main building and the existing car park.
Supported on piled foundations that reach 28 metres below ground level, the construction is a superstructure that is made up of steel frame work and cast in-situ concrete floors with a Kalzip roof.
The first floor exhibition area is designed to carry tanks including a 10m x 5m x 3m deep exhibition tank; central to the display.
Having a reasonably intricate exterior, the building walls slope out 8 degrees and hold lightweight concrete panels that are tied back to the main steelwork. Inspired by natural geological land formations, the fabrication definitely makes use of the landscape on which it stands. Glass and aluminium impose into the stunning landscape on the meeting of the two rivers, marking the historic entry to Hull.
The new extension for The Deep allows increased space for facilities giving the tourist attraction much more credence. This includes a reception area, educational facilities, additional exhibition space, a restaurant and over 13,350 sq. ft of fully serviced and furnished office space.
The Deep itself boasts a 10 metre deep pool containing 2,500,000 litres of water, a 9-metre deep tunnel, 87 tonnes of salt and an underwater lift. Opened in March 2002 The Deep is home to thousands of sea creatures, including seven species of shark and is an integral part of the regeneration of Hull.
Alan Wood and Partners Structural Engineering division have also worked on many listed buildings, in close association with English Heritage. They were commissioned to provide conservation and structural advice on a series of historic bridges and other features for a leading English Heritage Tourist Attraction; Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
This included a boat house and shell grotto to an obelisk, cascade and waterfall. The bridges included masonry, arches, timber and cast iron.
Being one of the finest exhibition sites for sculptures in the UK, Yorkshire Sculpture Park is a site that boasts over 300,000 visitors and 40,000 learning visits a year.
Its modern and contemporary art, situated amongst the natural beauty of an historic estate, makes this tourist attraction the only one of its kind.
Alan Wood and Partners carried out an assessment of all the structures, estimated the load-carrying capacity, specified appropriate repairs and provided the schedule of works. We also supervised investigation works on site and carried out site inspections during the works.
