NSC 15
February 19
Pad foundations were also installed
in readiness for the steelwork. Border
Steelwork Structures (BSS) began its
programme in August and the majority of
the steel erection was completed during
October.
BSS has since remained on site as it is
also contracted to install the project’s wall
and roof cladding systems.
The main buildings include a striking
three-storey contemporary glass-fronted
showroom for the Group’s BMW marque,
which is located at the northern end of the
site.
The three-storey structure is constructed
in a traditional beam and column method
with the steelwork supporting metal decked
flooring. The structure features a constant
6m x 8m grid pattern, with cross bracing
giving the frame its stability.
All three of the floors will have display
areas for BMW cars, so the front elevation
is fully glazed for maximum impact. The
floorplates also accommodate office space
and meeting rooms towards the rear.
Composite Profiles were contracted to
detail, supply and install the composite
metal floor decking for the upper floors in
the showrooms. In total, over 4,100m2 of
ComFlor E60 and ComFlor 51+ in various
gauges, together with perimeter edge shutter
and over 12,000 shear studs, were supplied
and installed by the company.
Adjoining the BMW showroom and
continuing the overall building’s glazed
front elevation is a lower MINI showroom.
This is a single-storey portal frame
structure, which also contains a small twostorey
element for plant.
Another, much larger, propped portalframe
is attached to the rear of the BMW
showroom. Featuring two 20m-long spans,
this structure will house the BMW and
MINI workshops.
The other main steel-framed structure is
the single-storey Jaguar Land Rover (JLR)
showroom which is to the south of the site,
but also overlooking Barton Dock Road.
This showroom’s design is based around
JLR’s recently implemented ARCH concept,
featuring an 18-car dual-branded showroom
together with a service drive-through.
The creation and implementation of the
dual-brand ARCH corporate identity is said
to have been driven by Jaguar Land Rover’s
significant growth in recent years.
ARCH dual-brand showrooms are all
decorated in colours which are said to be
unique to Jaguar Land Rover – sunshine
grey and champagne silver. The showroom
façades are designed in such a way as to
frame the product line of each marque
within extensive glazed areas, creating what
has been described as a ‘jewel box’ effect.
As the customer enters any ARCH
showroom they are met with an interior
environment that, like the exterior of the
building, expresses the modernity of Jaguar
Land Rover’s current design philosophy. A
single reception area serves both the Jaguar
and Land Rover brands and customers
wishing to inspect the product lines will
head left or right to see the two distinct
vehicle ranges.
This dual-brand configuration in the
showroom is formed with a propped
portal frame that has two 21m-wide spans,
creating a space for each marque. A double
row of central prop columns forms a
2m-wide corridor that separates the two
showrooms.
“We have worked on the designs for
a number of showrooms and steel is the
best framing solution because of the large
amount of glazing and extensive open-plan
space they usually incorporate,” says RPS
Project Engineer Conor Stratton.
To the rear of the JLR showroom a link
structure connects into the workshop area,
which is another large propped portal frame
with two 21m-wide spans.
The final piece of the steelwork
programme involved BSS erecting a further
portal frame to house wash bays and
valeting areas. In keeping with the site’s
bespoke design, this is no ordinary car wash
facility as it is 78m-long and 30m-wide,
housing four lines of wash bays in a wet
zone, which is accommodated in one half
of the building, with valeting occupying the
dry half of the structure.
Summing up, Williams Group Managing
Director Nick Cook says: “We operate one
of the largest family groups of premium
and luxury automotive retail centres in
the country and continually invest and
improve our business to benefit our staff
and customers.
“As a family-owned business, we are
underlining our commitment to the region
by relocating to this flagship site where we
will retail and service cars from the finest
retail centres in the North West. Once
complete we will be delivering the Williams’
difference that our loyal customers have
come to expect and look forward to
welcoming new customers to our new
location.”
Retail
How the BMW
showroom will look
FACT FILE
Williams Group retail
centre
Main client:
Williams Group
Architect: Taylor
Design Architects
Main contractor:
Caddick Construction
Structural engineer:
RPS
Steelwork contractor:
Border Steelwork
Structures
Steel tonnage: 800t
The JLR showroom is
two adjoining portal
frames
The JLR showroom is
divided in two by a
central row of columns
/Construction#Steel_erection
/Building_envelopes
/Concept_design#Floor_grids
/Braced_frames#Vertical_bracing
/Concept_design#Structural_options_for_stability
/Steel_construction_products#Decking_for_floors
/Construction#Installation_of_metal_decking
/Portal_frames
/Design
/Facades_and_interfaces
/Steel-supported_glazed_facades_and_roofs