PCE Makes it all square at Trafford Centre
PCE has completed the installation of high quality architectural reconstructed stone cladding units forming part of an extension to one of the UK's leading retail developments.
The £70 million Barton Square development will form a new extension to Manchester's Trafford Centre and is due to open in Spring 2008.
Working on behalf of Nottingham-based Trent Concrete, PCE was responsible for the installation of bespoke precast elements weighing up to 38 tonnes at the development, which consists of four L-shaped blocks arranged to form a central square, mall and colonnade, together with a large entrance rotunda.
The building has an external appearance echoing the original Trafford Centre construction and features a wide variety of buff-coloured reconstructed stone elements with an acid-etched finish.
PCE was responsible for installing almost 1,300 units over the 42-week contract, which was completed on schedule.
These include storey-height pilasters, typically eight metres in height, cornice units, ashlar panels, plinths and a variety of curved units that combine to give the new development its distinctive classical appearance.
Each of the units was delivered to site in the correct sequence on a just-in-time basis, with off-site manufacture ensuring consistency in quality and colour throughout.
For the majority of the contract, PCE deployed a crew of six and the company's own Liebherr 160 tonne crawler crane, supplemented by an additional crew of four where necessary.
David Walker, Managing Director of Trent Concrete comments: "Trent Concrete are delighted with the performance of PCE .The Barton Square project with it's different facets of external wall cladding and the special structural elements which form the collonade,coliseum and rotunda, is a complicated project requiring a high degree of skill, ability and experience. We have designed produced the heaviest units in the company's history.
"The site operations required detailed planning and close co-operation and co-ordination with other trades. PCE were faced with a number of challenges on site which they overcame in a competent, safe and highly professional manner."
Client: Trent Concrete
Main Contractor: Bovis Lendlease Ltd
Architect: Leach Rhodes Walker |