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Steel forms crescent shaped gallery

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Steelwork is nearing completion on the highly unusual £16.5M firstsite:newsite project in Colchester, Essex.

The job is an ambitious partnership to create a visual arts building with regional and international significance, to house work by local artists as well as the University of Essex collection of Latin American art.

The scheme is an extension to the original firstsite art gallery based nearby in the town’s centre. The new building has been designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects and the main contractor is Banner.

Dave Chadwick, Project Manager for steelwork contractor SH Structures, said the job is complex as all of the perimeter columns lean out at differing angles.

The 4,500m² building is totally column free on the inside and consequently the stepped long-span roof has been one of the main challenges for the steel erector

“To erect and install the long roof trusses, which are spliced in the middle, we had quite a complicated procedure,” said Mr Chadwick. “Using two mobile cranes we had to support the adjacent columns with guys while the truss was put into position, then when the roof and columns were bolted down we were able to infill with secondary beams and columns,” he added.

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