Architects: AFL Architects
Role: Civil, Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, Water, Environmental
On promotion to the Premier League, Stoke City Football Club appointed Halcrow Yolles as consulting engineers for the proposed development of their new training facilities on their existing training ground situated south of Manchester within a green belt area.
The development was challenged by the site’s flood plain location, which is known to flood regularly. Situated outside the boundary of statutory utilities, gas, water, electricity and drainage facilities had to be extended from a nearby town. Halcrow Yolles facilitated the negotiations and approvals of the statutory services and flood mitigation measures.
A combination of the programme and site constraints impacted negatively on the budget. In order to mitigate this, we formulated a number of value engineering proposals to allow the target budget to be met. These included a ground improvement solution in lieu of piling that reduced the ground works costs by 50%; a hybrid steel and load bearing masonry structure which reduced costs but retained quality and functionality; an innovative drainage solution that minimised infrastructure costs; and hydraulic modelling to minimise flood mitigation measures.
Similar developments constructed in the green belt and in flood risk areas are not generally supported by local planning authorities. Halcrow Yolles facilitated the planning process by producing documentation dealing with ground contamination, drainage and flood risk to allow the development to gain the necessary planning approval.