Sport
Circuit revs
up hospitality
16 NSC
May 18
Forming the cornerstone of a wider
redevelopment programme,
Thruxton’s new steel-framed twostorey
hospitality complex includes
a restaurant, bar, exhibition gallery, function
rooms, hospitality suites, catering facilities,
viewing terraces and a balcony.
Featuring an innovative design, which
fully utilises steelwork’s aesthetic qualities by
leaving the majority of the framing material
exposed, it also includes a grand atrium and
entrance lobby said to reflect the dynamism
of motorsport as well as the circuit’s rich
heritage.
Initially designed by architects Chapman
Partnership, they and the client always
envisaged the scheme being built as a steelframed
structure.
The building’s shape has two distinct
conjoined parts, one curved and shaped like
an open fan on plan, and the other a more
traditional rectangle. Both parts are topped
by a series of curved barrel-vaulted roofs,
which cantilever over a balcony that wraps
around the front of both parts and overlooks
the racing circuit.
“We chose a steel frame for a combination
of reasons. Our architectural intent was to
emphasis the high-tech nature of motorsport
in the building’s design. The steel frame
facilitated the complex roof geometry and
cantilevers that echo the famous curves of
Thruxton’s iconic circuit,” says Zac Chapman
of Chapman Partnership.
“The ability for large internal spans and
resulting lack of columns made the project
viable for a variety of programmatic criteria.
Since the construction phase was restricted
to the motor racing off-season September to
April, the pace of steel frame construction
was another factor instrumental in its
selection and ultimately vital in the project’s
successful completion.
“REIDsteel’s early involvement and our
regular design team meetings have resulted in
an excellent final design, full of architectural
and engineering merits.”
Working on a design and build contract for
the project’s steelwork, cladding and glazing,
REIDsteel helped to rationalise the design by
working collaboratively with the rest of the
design team to ensure they had a steel frame
that could be built easily on-site.
“We made a number of refinements to
the steelwork,” explains REIDsteel Structural
Engineer John Harrison. “Most notably,
omitting some large roof beams and
introducing cantilevering purlins instead.”
“As the purlins are hidden in the sheeting,
it gives the illusion of no roof support for
the cantilever, as well as being a more costeffective
design.”
The racing day experience at
Hampshire’s Thruxton Circuit has
been enhanced by a new £1.5M
steel-framed hospitality suite.
The barrel-vaulted roof
cantilevers over the
balcony
/Braced_frames
/Design
/Steel-supported_glazed_facades_and_roofs#Atrium_Roofs_and_Sky_lights
/Construction
/Single_storey_industrial_buildings#Design_.26_Build