This new pavilion on the Blackpool seafront houses a wedding venue, bistro, outdoor dining terraces overlooking the sea, a tourist information centre and auxiliary office spaces.
Complex groundworks featuring a raft foundation and sheet piles were required to mediate between historical and new sea and retaining walls and to avoid surcharge to a 3m diameter sewer beneath the building. A cross-laminated timber superstructure was selected for rapid erection periods, sustainability, absence of wet trades, inherent fire resistance and factory quality finish.
The structure features post-tensioned timber walls to deal with creep and to permit construction of the large cantilevered ceremony hall. The proposals achieved a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating during the design stage, with post-construction evaluation yet to be carried out.
Client: Blackpool Council
Architect: dRMM
Project Value: £2.9M Images
Winner: RIBA Regional Award 2012
Highly Commended: Wood Awards 2013
1 to 4 courtesy of dRMM
