Image: Mark Radford
A hybrid structural frame and long component lead times put pressure on the programme when building a new Remembrance Centre at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. John Neill, project manager at Stepnell, talks to CM.
Describe the project
A £15.7m visitor centre is designed to expand and transform visitor facilities at the Arboretum at Alrewas in Lichfield, the UK’s national focus for remembrance. It features three new exhibition galleries, a larger restaurant and shop, a separate coffee shop and a cloistered courtyard with garden.
It is designed to accommodate a higher volume of visitors, expected to increase from 250,000 to 500,000 over the next few years.
The exhibition includes fully immersive audio visual displays, hands-on interactives, artistic interpretation and the opportunity for visitors to share their experiences. A fascinating interactive exhibition, “Landscapes of Life”, provides an introduction to the concept of remembrance and why it is an important human need spanning thousands of years.
Vital statistics
The visitors centre was built under a JCT 2011 design & build contract, the overall project value was £15.7m, the project duration was 50 weeks, running from September 2015 to August 2016. Consultants included Edmond Shipway, Glenn Howells Architects, Techniker as civil & structural engineer, YES as M&E consultant and FIRA as landscape architect.
What did the works entail?
Demolition of the existing building and construction of a new hybrid steel and glulam structure, connecting to a retained section of existing glulam frame, supported on vibro stone columns with a ground-bearing concrete slab. The existing glulam was French polished to match the new frame.
A central courtyard space for formal ceremonies was laid in Indian sandstone. Image: Mark Radford
The building was clad in a mixture of pre-finished timber cladding, bronze anodised curtain walling and Portuguese moleanos limestone. The limestone facade echoes the Portland stone of the nearby Armed Forces Memorial. A central nine-metre high drum-shaped rotunda, housing an audio visual theatre space, was formed with a steel structure clad internally and externally in limestone.
Heroes’ Square, a central courtyard space for formal ceremonies, was laid in Indian sandstone, with York stone regimental paviours surrounding each of the trees. A landscaped garden leads into the wider arboretum where there are 30,000 maturing trees and more than 330 memorials. The existing car park was completely reformed in eight phases and kept live throughout construction.
What was the big challenge?
Most of the key building elements were on lead times ranging from 10 to 16 weeks, such as the glulam, timber cladding, the limestone and sandstone imported from Portugal and India respectively, plus the bronze anodised curtain walling and oversized sections of glazing for the curtain walling. This put pressure on the short construction programme.
The new restaurant. Image: Mark Radford
The Arboretum had to remain open throughout construction, including the daily chapel service and annual remembrance events, which could not be disrupted in any way.
What were the key innovations and solutions?
The new sections of the building are mechanically ventilated. The existing retained structures had to be naturally ventilated using Monodraught wind catchers, due to spatial constraints within the existing ceiling voids.
The roof structure was formed mostly using 12m-long eco joists to provide service routes for mechanical and electrical services. During design we changed the drum from load bearing masonry to a circular steel structure for speed of installation. In addition, all load bearing masonry was removed from the structure and replaced with SFS to ensure speed of construction.
What will you take away to other projects?
The positive collaboration between the client, project managers, design team and delivery team. We ran a series of client approval workshops each month after starting onsite to enable early approval and procurement of all key materials and components. During the meetings we worked through each area of the building to ensure the client was happy with the design and that all required items were included.
Champagne moment?
There were quite a few! The topping out ceremony for the drum rotunda, in March 2016, when I meet Princess Anne and various members of the armed forces; walking around the project in the early hours just prior to practical completion; and taking my family to visit the building on the opening weekend.
Interactive displays give an introduction to the concept of remembrance. Image: Mark Radford
