Pick Everard and contractor Lindum Group have installed a provisional structure underneath a reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) roof in a Peterborough theatre to allow it to stage its seasonal productions.
The 400-seat Key Theatre was forced to close in September over RAAC safety concerns in the roof above the stage. The venue was built in 1973.
Peterborough City Council contracted Pick Everard to carry out building surveys and feasibility studies to assess the next steps. The surveys showed there was an immediate ‘red’ failure on RAAC reports.
Pick Everard designed a secondary timber roof system underneath the main roof inside the main auditorium. It said materials were procured quickly using the local supply chain, which allowed Lindum to complete the installation in weeks.
The new internal roof provides further structural support for the main roof and has lighting and sets installed around it.
Pick Everard’s director, Jenny Curtlin, said: “That very pressing timescale meant that permanent removal of the roof was not an option until further down the line, so the project team mobilised a temporary solution with the secondary roof structure. Being able to pull together to get the work underway so quickly was critical, and the most impressive part of this project has been the speed from everyone involved.”
The council confirmed that a longer-term solution is underway, with a complete roof replacement already in the design phase.
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Replacement of RAAC panels is very rarely warranted. There are proven alternative options that provide long term structural integrity with far less disruption and at a much lower cost.