Liverpool, UK

Aintree Racecourse tensile fabric roof

DESCRIPTION

Tensile Fabric roof

Fabric Architecture took centre stage in the £34M Aintree Racecourse redevelopment by designing, engineering and installing 3 unique tensile fabric roof. The main canopy over the Saddle Bar has pushed fabric as a building medium to new frontiers. The fabric roof ‘theme’ makes this venue a hit for races and other year round events.

The Challenge

Designed with BDP over a two year period, the Saddle Bar is a building that links two other buildings and stands overlooking the racecourse. Originally specified as a metal roof, the tensile fabric membrane roof oversails the six storey building and was engineered with steel masts running down the front of the building. Patterning, engineering and installing a structure of this size atop a building was a challenge.

The Solution

The bespoke Triple Conic canopy, with a surface area of almost 600m2, is fixed to ten perimeter bi-pods, two 9.5m gutters and supported internally by three masts. The result is an iconic space that is bright, open and airy, offering spectacular views of the racecourse. In addition to the Triple Conic, we installed a Double Conic and a Single Conic on the parade ring and winners circle.

PROJECT SPECIFICATION

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