Martin Dawes Telecommunications Ltd - New Call Centre and H.Q.    

At the beginning of 1998 Atkinson Peck were awarded a prestigious commission to carry out the civil and structural design of a new Call Centre and Headquarters building for Martin Dawes Telecommunications Ltd. The building was to provide 175 000 sq feet of accommodation.

The proposed new building, situated close to the M56 motorway at Preston Brook, near Runcorn provided a spacious and pleasant new office environment for Directors and staff relocating from Warrington.

It will consist of a three storey offices area together with large single storey call centre and facilities, all housed under a curved Aluminium roof. The walls will be of sealed structural glazing in a striking Sun-cool Silver, ensuring high visibility from the nearby motorway.

Structurally, the building is of steel framed construction, with composite metal deck floors, founded on a combination of piled and ground bearing foundations. The roof to the call centre is supported on curved cellular beams which are exposed internally.

The steel frame was designed as simply supported with stability being provided by braced cores. Beams were designed to act compositely with the lightweight concrete floor. This lead to an overall solution which was both economic and able to be erected quickly to fit into the very tight design and construction programme's.

Construction started in June 1998 with completion anticipated in May 1999.Currently the project is more or less on programme.

The design team for the project was assembled by Project Manager, Fyvie DMC from Stirling, brought in by Martin Dawes because of their experience of similar projects. Other team members were Bradford Robertson Architects from Glasgow, Kean Kennedy Quantity Surveyors from Edinburgh, DSSR Mechanical & Electrical Consultants from Glasgow and Gillespies Landscape Architects from Manchester.

Pictures are included to show the sequence of work on site and also of the project as it nears completion. The PROJECT DATA SHEET gives all the structural information for the scheme for those who are really interested.


Sequence of Work on Site

01) Foundation excavation commences....
02)  . . .as does the piling to the office areas
03) Piles waiting to be cut down to level
04)
Pile caps shuttered for concreting
05)
Steelwork erection commences
06)
Cellular roof beams going up
07)
Steelwork erection progresses quickly...
08) . . .
allowing floor decking to be laid
.
09)
Perimeter glazing supports being fixed
10)
Purlins start to go on the roof
11)
Roads and kerbs go in too
12)
and roof sheeting commences
13)
Staircases go in
14)
Lightweight concrete being poured
15)
View along atrium from 2nd floor
16)
View across roof from top of drum
17)
Glazing mullions being erected....
18) . . .
and in close up at base
19)
Painting of call centre steel commences
20)
Blockwork to toilet cores progresses
21)
View from inside as glazing goes up
22)
Drum roof steelwork in close-up
23)
Services hangers go in
24)
Glazing progressing well
 

As the projects nears completion
01 / 02 / 03 / 04 / 05 / 06 / 07 / 08 / 09
10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18