Phase One of Milburngate is on course for completion in the first quarter of 2022. The latest milestone in the construction of the £120m Arlington Richardson development has been achieved with the completion of its structural steel frame.
Comprising of 40,000 individual pieces of steel weighing a combined 3,800 tonnes, the key structures that will make up Phase One of Milburngate are now complete and visible on Durham City’s riverside.
Following a 54-week build programme, the steel frames of the office building, hotel, boutique cinema, retail and leisure units, as well as the three apartment blocks, are now in place ready for external finishing and interior fit-out to take place.
The structural frame, which utilises 20,000 welded shear studs, is strengthened with 5,500 square metres of pre-cast concrete beams and supports over 100 flights of stairs through the development.
More than 30 local operatives successfully delivered the steel work project with minimal delays to programme, despite the need to adhere to strict Covid safety guidelines including social distancing.
Led by Milburngate’s main contractor Tolent, it was delivered in conjunction with County Durham-based constructional steel company Finley Structures and structural engineers Atkins.
Allan Cook, managing director at Arlington said: “Erecting 40,000 pieces of steel in this timeframe in a sensitive riverside location such as Milburngate has its challenges, but to achieve this against the backdrop of a worldwide pandemic is testament to the expertise of our construction team and strength of their supply chain.
“This is an important moment in the development of Milburngate, not only as a construction milestone, but also in terms of attracting new occupiers. They can now visit site and see first-hand the unique position Milburngate occupies on the riverside and experience the fabulous views we have created of the river and World Heritage site peninsular.
“When they visit Milburngate they can now appreciate the important role it will play as a living, working and leisure destination in attracting people to Durham from across the region and beyond. This is certainly paying dividends with potential occupiers as interest in Milburngate has grown significantly in the first part of the year.”
Michael Rutherford, project director for Tolent, said: "The completion of the steel frame programme is a significant milestone for the project and what you can now see on site is the best visual representation so far of just what a fantastic development this is going to be for Durham.
“As the majority of the structures on site are now weather tight, we are progressing with internal fit out works of the apartment blocks, hotel and leisure and retail units. We recently passed 750,000 hours on site and have a workforce over 300 people which we continue to manage with health, safety and wellbeing as our number one priority."