2023

David Lloyd Club – Reading

Client

David Lloyd Club – Reading

Location

Reading

Contractor

Base Structures UK Ltd

Fabric

PVC

Swimming Pool Fabric Roof Replacement

As part of their gym refurbishment, David Lloyd approached us to replace the fabric roof to their members pool in the Reading club. Utilising our expert fabric team, we carried out the safe dismantle and removal of the old membranes and associated components.

Our Solution

We then carried out a 3D survey of the structure to enable a re-design incorporating improvements to the replacement components.

Once the new bespoke fabric design was agreed we set about manufacturing and installing both the new inner and outer fabric roof membranes, all within a 2-week timeframe to ensure that the roof was re-installed as quickly as possible, and the pool closure time was minimal.

We also carried out cleaning works to the structural steelwork to give the whole pool area a fresh look for the refurbishment project.   

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2023

Babington House School

Client

David Lloyd Club – Reading

Location

Chislehurst

Contractor

Base Structures UK Ltd

Fabric

PVC

Cantilevered Entrance Canopy

To prevent the pupils at the school from having to queue in the rain, our client Western Blueprint approached us to design and install an external canopy to the entrance of the School building.

Our Solution

The brief was for a simple and elegant solution, we recommended a revised version of our Brecon Walkway pre-designed canopy. We tweaked the original design, changing the scalloped edge to a straight edge for a sleek look to the canopy.

Base Structures designed, engineered, manufactured and installed the cream coloured PVC canopy and the integrated guttering solution.

The Results

The two stage bracketed design allowed for the brickwork to be reinstated around the first fix brackets, resulting in a tidier detail at the mounting locations.

The client was very satisfied with the end result with the canopy meeting the requirements for both weather protection and fitting into the aesthetic of the school courtyard.

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2023

Engineered Temporary Weather Screens

Client

David Lloyd Club – Reading

Location

UK

Contractor

Base Structures UK Ltd

Fabric

PVC

Project Highlights

The background

Concerned about the turning autumn weather the client was looking for temporary weather solution to enable them to secure the building and maintain their programme of works for the internal fit out of the new 15 storey office building in a prominent city centre location.

Base have previously installed temporary weatherproof screening on several large and prestigious construction projects to provide rain and wind protection for construction teams, enabling them to continue to work uninterrupted where building exterior is yet to be completed.

Tensile fabric screens can be installed quickly with minimal disruption to other site works. They are extremely adaptable and can be tailored to suit the access requirements. Base can also offer the option to have either vertical or horizontal webbing strap attachments, customising the screens to suit the interfacing options available within the space.

The Proposal

To provide a series of tensile fabric weather screens around the entire building perimeter, covering from the ground up to the 2nd floor. This would be an engineered solution allowing the client to assess the loads applied to the structure and have peace of mind that the screens are both weatherproof and also meet the sites prescribed wind loading.

The PVC flame retardant (B-S2-D0) fabric screens were proposed to be manufactured with horizontal welded webbing straps & ratchets at 1m centres providing attachments to tension the screens to the steel columns of the building, and the seams to be hot air welded to ensure completely watertight.

The design and components

The entire project consisted of 44# screens with a total fabric area of 1800m2. The largest of the screens were 11m high by 8m wide. Some were split in two to provide a removable lower section allowing access when needed. Others were specifically adapted to fit around the personnel and goods hoists.

The screens each have a ground level weather flap that is timber battened to the existing concrete slab using 100mm frame fixings. Where screens abut with one another, they have vertical screen to screen weather flaps that were hot air welded together to form a weather tight seal.

Where fabric screens could not be tensioned laterally to columns, the design was adapted to tension vertically between the steel beams above and the concrete slab below. This was accomplished by utilising a pole and pocket detail top and bottom, with a steel plate bracket fixed to beam with lindaptors and eyebolts resin anchored to the concrete slab.

All panels are engineered to withstand the relevant British Standard wind loadings.

Challenges

Fabric panel installation can become hazardous in wind speeds exceeding 10mph, be they steady or gusting. Weather conditions for the installation must be carefully considered during install planning and discussed fully with the client to understand any impact to programme.

There were several areas on the project where the existing columns were not able to be used to support the webbing strap screen fixings and alternative attachment methods had to be devised with the client.

Screens adjacent to bays that accommodated the hoists had to be adapted to fit around the hoist support scaffolding. In these locations, the screens had cut-outs to stop short of the hoist and their webbing tails were extended to fit through the hoist supports.

Results and client feedback

The clients project team were incredibly happy with the performance of the screens and the versatility offered by our solution which enabled them to adapt and match their fast-moving programme. Multiplex also found that Base Structures’ screening solutions were the most cost effective compared with alternative products they had reviewed and implemented on their other UK sites. Base’s screens also proved to be more versatile and offered more flexibility when considering site conditions and access requirements.

“Base have been excellent throughout the full process, from tender to installation. We have used a temporary weathering solution which is a great design and works perfectly. The installation team have maintained an extremely high standard of quality and safety and delivered the install ahead of the anticipated programme. I would highly recommend Base to any contractor looking for a temporary weathering solution. Well done to all.” The Client.

Afterlife

Once the client have completed their internal fit out works and ready to move onto the exterior and no longer require the screens, Base will remove them. Our screens are very quick to demount and, as with the installation, the operation causes minimal disruption to other site works.

From there Base will review the future of the screens as to their suitability for re-use, initially discussing with the client about any possible uses and if not look at our fabric industry and event industry networks to find a re-use. We have a zero to landfill policy and are committed to the upcycling and re-use of tensile fabric that has not yet reached the end of its life.

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2023

St Crispin’s School, Playground Canopies

Client

David Lloyd Club – Reading

Location

Edinburgh

Contractor

Base Structures UK Ltd

Fabric

PVC

A series of three shade canopies

In need of additional outdoor space, playground shade and weather protection, St Crispin’s School were looking for a series of three colourful outdoor canopies in the school grounds. McLaughlin & Harvey came to us for a solution.

Our Solution

The Mendip 4P 400 is a popular multi-functional canopy from our pre-designed range. It was the most appropriate structure for the project as they are perfectly suited for providing play shade, shelter and covered seating with an elegant yet simple design.

The Results

The result provides and increased amount of practical open-air space which can be utilised in many ways including outdoor leaning, school events and socialising areas.

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2023

Sophia Gardens Stadium, Replacement Fabric Canopies

Client

David Lloyd Club – Reading

Location

Cardiff

Contractor

Base Structures UK Ltd

Fabric

PVC

Tensile Fabric Seating Stand Covers

TFT Consultants approached us on behalf of the Glamorgan Cricket to replace the two membranes of the seating stand covers at the Sophia Gardens stadium as the original membranes had reached the end of their design life.

07.08.22 – Welsh Fire v Oval Invincibles, The Hundred – Welsh Fire take on Oval Invincibles at Sophia Gardens Cardiff in The Hundred

Our Solution

To give the stadium a fresh new look and renewed canopy lifespan for years to come, we removed both old membranes and supplied and installed new membranes to both the Croeso and Pro Steel Engineering Stands.  We inspected the associated steelwork for suitability of re-use on both structures and re-furbished where necessary.

As part of our zero waste to landfill policy we used our network to find re-use opportunities for the old fabric, that whilst past its structural design life could still be used for many other applications, including wrapping timber for waterproofing.

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2023

The Square, Listowel, Covered Seating Canopies

Client

David Lloyd Club – Reading

Location

Listowel
Republic of Ireland

Contractor

Base Structures UK Ltd

Fabric

PVC

Three Shade Sail Canopy Scheme

Architect Ilsa Rutgers approached us to assist her devising a canopy scheme for Kerry County Council. They were looking to create an attractive covered area for The Square in the centre of Listowel, that would stimulate more outdoor interaction including live performances in the existing pedestrian area.

The Council were very keen that the solution be sympathetic to the heritage and historical architecture of The Square.

Our Solution

We proposed a series of three of our pre-designed Malvern 4P 700 canopies modified to be grouped around a central mast. This provided good coverage with the minimum of structure and resulted in a dynamic and attractive feature for the town centre. 

The Results

The structure is also fitted with colour change LED lights with various pre-programmed settings that adds further visual impact at night.

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2023

Jaguar Jungle Enclosure, Paradise Wildlife Park

Client

David Lloyd Club – Reading

Location

Hertfordshire

Contractor

Base Structures UK Ltd

Fabric

PVC

Stainless Steel Cable Net – Animal Enclosure

The team at Paradise Zoo contacted us in need of engineering expertise in designing and building a robust animal enclosure for their ‘Jaguar Jungle’, a first of its kind habitat in the UK for Jaguars with underwater viewing, set to open this year.

Our Solution

Our in-house expert Andy Traynor proposed a solution of a stainless steel cable net structure that would provide the stability and safety required for these category 1 animals.

The 32m x 30m net enclosure is split into two areas, one large and one smaller with a dividing wall and 5 net sections within, those sections are then stitched to the roof net cables along the perimeter beam. The central masts hold up a series of roof net cables that fan out to join the perimeter steelwork.

We designed, engineered and installed the 31 stainless steel structural cables and erected the 5 steel nets to cover the entire roof area of the enclosure, fixing to existing masts. The cable net is engineered to withstand all wind and snow loadings to ensure continued protection.

The Results

The result is a sleek and robust enclosure that maximises habitat space and animal welfare whilst providing visitor safety.  The team at the zoo were very pleased with their new structure, Craig Whitnall, Commercial Director said “I couldn’t speak more highly of Base Structures, from the initial enquiry for advice, Andy has been an excellent source of advice and support”

For more information on the Jaguar Jungle visit the Paradise Wildlife Park website: New Jaguar Habitat coming soon… | Paradise Wildlife Park (pwpark.com)

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2023

Urban Air-Port Demountable Fabric Clad Drone Airport

Client

David Lloyd Club – Reading

Location

Coventry

Contractor

Base Structures UK Ltd

Fabric

PVC

Bespoke Fabric Cladding & Internal Fittings

Arup approached Base to be involved in this ground breaking project for Urban-Air Port and Six Miles Across London Ltd (small.) to install the first Vertiport to serve as a drone hub called Air One. This structure is the blueprint for the first of many as Urban-Air Port have ambitious plans to install around 200 Vertiports worldwide in the next 5 years.

Our Solution

Base designed, manufactured and installed the external fabric cladding roof & wall panels as well as the internal drum wall window panels, circumjacent to the moveable FATO drone launchpad in the structure’s centre. A number of other elements within the structure were also provided by Base, including a polycarbonate pelmet, skirt and door surrounds.

The Results

With multiple trades and designers involved in this complicated & intricate project, collaboration & coordination was key to making it a success. With an incredibly tight installation programme, there was no scope for error, and we were pleased to successfully install our element of the project on programme & in only 4 weeks!

The final result is a stunning 17,000 ft² structure that will be a great showcase to launchpad an example of Urban-Air Port’s plans for more Vertiports.

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2023

Twycross Zoo Owl Aviary

Client

David Lloyd Club – Reading

Location

Leicestershire

Contractor

Base Structures UK Ltd

Fabric

PVC

Stainless Steel Knit Mesh – Owl Enclosure

Located in the heart of England at Twycross Zoo, The Gruffalo Discovery Land has been developed in partnership with brand managers Magic Light Pictures and is inspired by the best-selling picture book The Gruffalo written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. The aim of the four-acre experience is to educate and inspire the next generation about conservation – something that is critical to the future of many species as well as the planet.

Wates Smart Space working with Twycross Zoo approached us to help them develop a scheme for a new replacement Owl Aviary at the zoo. With a recent increase in avian flu at the time, the zoo were concerned about cross contamination with other smaller native wild birds.

Our Solution

We worked with the team at Wates to identify a more suitable finer mesh that would prevent other birds from entering the enclosure, and significantly reduce the risk of transmission.

We designed, engineered and erected the timber frames, stainless steel knit mesh, keepers vestibules, owl boxes and two gates as part of the project.

The Results

The result is a more robust owl enclosure that helps prevent risk of cross contamination whilst still maximizing habitat space and animal welfare.

The Gruffalo Discovery Land at Twycross Zoo is open from Saturday 9th April 2022. To buy tickets, go to www.twycrosszoo.org/the-gruffalo-discovery-land

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2023

Aden Country Park

Client

David Lloyd Club – Reading

Location

Abderdeenshire

Contractor

Base Structures UK Ltd

Fabric

PVC

Events Canopy

The team at CR Contracting North Ltd approached us to assist them with developing the scheme for a new canopy and outdoor seating area at the Aden Country Park in Abderdeenshire, who host regular events and concerts.

Our Solution

We identified that a structure from our range, the Malvern 6P1000 would best suit the clients needs, providing the required shade and sheltered event space, and saving on budget and time as it has been pre-designed.

We installed the steel frame, PVC membrane and associated fittings and fixtures.

The Result

The canopy enables greater use of the outdoor space available at the park and looks stunning in the silvery grey fabric colour selected, giving it that extra special wow factor for prestigious events.

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some of our clients

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