West Quay

West Quay Shopping Centre


Southampton

 

Market Sector: Retail

Client: Hammerson

Engineer: Ove Arup & Partners

Main Contractor: Sir Robert McAlpine

WestQuay is the premier shopping destination on the South Coast, designed over 3 storeys with retailing arranged over 2 floors and an upper level containing a 2,000 seat food terrace, this development has become the location of choice to the UK’s leading retailers.

At the time of construction WestQuay was the largest inner-city project of its type in Europe, the nature of the steelwork we provided was also quite remarkable. The focal space roof was formed with 14 metre span tubular trusses supported by branched circular columns. The entire steel roof structure had to be erected on a temporary scaffold support structure and lowered into position onto the branched circular columns. 20 metre boxed girders weighing approximately 50 tonnes formed the Portland Terrace Bridge. Their massive size deliveries meant that many roads around Southampton had to be closed when they were delivered. The roof over the bridge also had 8 welded trusses weighing 34 tonnes each. These were pre-fabricated at our works to enable the 350 tonne structure to be erected in just 8 days.