Phoenix Arts Centre, Leicester
LE1
- Sectors
- Retail, Leisure
- Status
- Completed
- Client
- Leicester City Council
- Project Value
- £ 7m
The proposed extension to the existing Phoenix Arts Centre in Leicester incorporates two new cinema screens, a digital atrium and art gallery along with improved events facilities and larger café space including an external roof terrace and bar.
The scheme proposals also include the refurbishment of existing facilities to provide an enhanced space for digital creativity and learning that will enable a step-change in cultural participation, earned income and economic contribution.
Design Challenges
Dice was instructed to undertake the detailed civil & structural design associated with RIBA work stages 03 – 05 respectively. This resulted in the management of numerous challenges and existing site constraints which included:
• Co-ordination of the existing basement car park ramp, with new building spanning over the top. The existing car park ramp is required to remain undisturbed and operational 24/7 during construction activities.
• Forming a new retaining wall at basement level adjacent to car park ramp, to allow part of the basement to be demolished and backfilled.
• Limited depth above the cinema screens for structure, resulting in shallow UC section beams at close centres to span over the screens.
• Alterations to existing 7-storey building including the alterations to an existing braced structural bays.
• Due to land ownership constraints there was a specific requirement to construct all below ground drainage under the proposed building. This required extensive coordination with the proposed structure, resulting in a suspended ground floor slab on ground beams and piles, to allow space below the building for the attenuation tank.