When Sports stado decided to move from its Layer Road ground, Barr Construction was called upon to develop a brand new stadium. And with the help of Forterra the new Weston Homes Community Stadium at Cuckoo Farm was up and running and ready for the new 2008/2009 season.
The steel framed structure makes extensive use of the cellular version of the Evalite Paint Grade block from Forterra for all of the partitions throughout the stadium. Over 8500m² of the product was required for the multi million pound development, which took 12 months to complete on a fast track programme.
According to Stephen Gunn, Project manager at Barr Construction, the Evalite block was specified for a number of reasons. “We wanted a quality block that would serve the partitioning needs of the stadium,” he explains. “The building houses sports, leisure and hospitality suites and there were numerous divisions and partitions to be accommodated. Most importantly we had to take into consideration health and safety requirements, and being extremely light in weight, the Evalite product was ideally suited to the task in hand.”
The cellular design of an almost hollowed out cavity within the block, gives it enormous advantages in terms of lightness of weight, without compromising its performance ability and its inherent strength. As well as handling considerations, the extremely light weight of the block reduces the amount of time spent on construction. A medium density block, Evalite is ideal for internal applications where weight is crucial. Manufactured from Class 1 aggregates, it attains the highest levels of fire resistance, essential under the rules governing sports stadia, and it offers excellent sound insulation between rooms.
Barr Construction is the country’s largest provider of sports stadia, having completed over 50 projects the length and breadth of the country over the last few years. “We are delighted with the finished structure and the role that Evalite blocks has played in the successful construction process to ensure that Colchester United have many years of footballing pleasure at the new Weston Homes Stadium,” concludes Gunn.