The Weston at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park is one of six buildings nominated for the 2019 RIBA Stirling prize. The fall protection specialist, SFS, has installed its unique Soter horizontal lifeline system on the new visitor centre and gallery on the grounds of Bretton Hall. The building has already won four RIBA Yorkshire Awards for its design, which fits with the rural and picturesque surroundings and future vision for the park.
SFS and Templar Roofing Services collaborated to bring the park’s new building to life, installing SFS’s Soter lifeline system into the natural roofline of the building. By installing the Soter lifeline system the architectural design of the building is not compromised, and the low height of the system ensures that it is not obtrusive, blending seamlessly into the structure of the building.
Martin Adwick, Managing Director at Templar Roofing Services said, “The install was brilliant from SFS. As the roof had been waterproofed already, SFS worked with our operatives to ensure the waterproof integrity of the building was maintained. The whole process went smoothly, and the finished product blended in well with the green and brown roof finishes, while allowing future maintenance of the system to be carried out safely.
Having completed several design layouts, SFS were able to recommend a system that minimised the loading back to the roof, which was less than 6kN at any given point. The use of the Soter lifeline system will also assist The Weston to maintain the roof and ensure the integrity of the roof for years to come.
After being brought on board by Templar Roofing Services, SFS were heavily involved in liaising with the architect and the engineer to arrive at a solution that met the Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s health and safety criteria. The system required a secure fixing through the green roof to ensure that the roof did not suffer from water ingress. SFS utilised M8 stainless steel gravity toggles to fix the base plate to the roof, which was then weathered by Templar Roofing to provide a secure weatherproof installation.
James Gooder, Business Manager at SFS Fall Protection said, “We’re proud to have been a part of the building process of The Weston. Making sure we provide the highest standard of fall safety equipment that blends in with the surroundings is always of utmost importance to us and our customers.”
