Victoria Gate

Description:

The £150m Victoria Gate Shopping Centre occupies a 21,000m2 site in Leeds city centre. It includes more than 30 premises, comprising stores, restaurants, cafes and a casino. Designed by architects Acme as a 21st century interpretation of the traditional Victorian retail arcades found in the city, the spectacular development was named the World’s Best Shopping Centre at a global real estate exhibition held earlier this year.

For such a landmark retail site, it was essential the roofing was watertight and perfectly installed. Contractors, Sir Robert McAlpine, in conjunction with developers, Hammerson, selected BriggsAmasco for the incredibly challenging project. In total, 9,500m2 of IKO Permatec Hot Melt roof coverings, along with Dow Xenergy XPS insulation and a combination of pebble ballast and PCC slabs and ballast, was installed across three buildings – the John Lewis store, and Victoria Gate’s north and south arcades.

BriggsAmasco’s experience and skill in delivering multiple roof systems as part of large retail projects came into its own during the John Lewis building installation, which proved particularly complex. With its stunning structurally-glazed, three-dimensional façade comprising diamond-shaped steel frames, the £54 million store provides the centre’s striking gateway. For it’s top floor restaurants, BriggsAmasco applied an estimated 700m2 of IKO composite panels. Single-ply roofing and composite cladding panels were also installed to a number of cores, lift-shaft openings and services rises throughout the building. This was supplemented by cold liquid-apply waterproofing to gutters covering three main entrances to the store. Aperture, a superbly-seamless cold-applied system, was used to seal penetrations through numerous cladding and tenant risers.

With the John Lewis store being described as a ‘future classic for architecture in Leeds’, it was imperative BriggsAmasco supplied a comprehensive waterproof roof system that core properties such as the roof’s safety and weather-tightness were not compromised in pursuit of the structure’s sensational aesthetics. The company delivered superbly on both counts; living-up to its first-class reputation by supplying the shopping centre’s complex roof installation – which began in August 2015 – in line with the client’s strict 14-month deadline.

*Further details of the MIPIM Award can be found here.