News
RNLI Poole lifeboat centre begins operations
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has officially opened its All-weather Lifeboat Centre (ALC) in Poole, Dorset.
The building’s completion secures the supply of all-weather lifeboats (ALBs) for future generations of lifesavers, creating 90 new jobs in the local area and saving the charity in excess of £3M a year once the facility is fully up and running.
The ALC [see NSC March 2015] consists of two large steel-framed buildings, both approximately 85m long × 30m wide, connected by a central covered courtyard.
Long clear spans for the main areas of both buildings were an important part of the design and were the main reason behind the choice of steel as the project’s framing material.
“Spans up to 20m, the requirement for various roof curves and the need for the frame to be constructed quickly, meant that a steel-framed structure was the optimum solution,” says Ramboll Structural Engineer Ben Punton.
Both buildings’ main production areas have been formed around 10m × 20m bays as this provides the necessary open column-free space. A slightly smaller 10m × 8m grid pattern is then used for adjoining mezzanine levels and first floor office areas.
Working on behalf of Leadbitter (Bouygues UK), H Young Structures fabricated, supplied and erected 1,000t of steel for the project.