Barnshaws helps secure Olympic legacy with curved steel columns

The facility combines an Olympic standard 250m velodrome track, 12 badminton courts or three volley ball courts and seating for up to 5,000 spectators. The first velodrome to be constructed in the wake of the 2012 Olympics saw the main steelwork contractor, Billington Structures, turn to metal bending specialists Barnshaws to supply the precision curved columns for the steel infrastructure of this legacy project.

The creation of the arena itself demanded large quantities of structural steelwork, with the building incorporating huge spans of up to 85m. This efficient and aesthetically pleasing structure therefore required large quantities of quality curved steel bars to ensure structural rigidity and facilitate the modern design. Having garnered great experience in the demands of bent structural steelwork, Barnshaws were contracted to produce the integral support columns due to their effective in-house facilities, short lead times and reputation for curving sections to stringent structural tolerances.

The Structural Steel Design Awards committee recognised that “with the selection of structural steel as the main construction material, the building will stand the test of time, remaining aesthetically pleasing for generations to come.”

Greg North, commercial director at Barnshaws, commented: “We are very pleased to see our work being recognised at such prestigious awards. It is interesting to see the construction industry as a whole utilising curved steel structural and aesthetic elements in modern building design. From our experiences across multiple sectors producing curved metal products, there is definitely a shift occurring towards more aesthetically pleasing design in all aspects of infrastructure, which has been enabled by the advancements in metal bending expertise. As a company, it is very exciting to be helping to facilitate this revolution.”

Barnshaws www.barnshaws.com