Member Article

Work continues on new social hub STACK

Work continues on new social hub and further tenants sign up to be part of the movement…

The first containers arrived at STACK Newcastle last week and now, as the development starts to take shape, we caught up with the local contractors who are working on the site.

Cleveland Containers based in Middlesbrough are the company behind the sourcing and fabricating of the shipping containers that are soon to be shops, restaurants, delicatessens and bars. Johnathan Bulmer, Managing Director said: “It’s been a great project to be involved with but it hasn’t been without its challenges, the main being the time constraints for such a large project; it’s certainly been a project and a half, but we’ve loved being involved.”

Eddie Rees, Sales Manager for Cleveland Containers has been the project lead for STACK: “The project is something we’re so proud to be involved in. We have worked tirelessly to ensure this is completed within the timescales set and I’m really happy with the work to date.”

Sharing in their pride is Director Adrian Gray from Wilson Gray Consultancy who have been the mechanical and electrical designers for STACK: “Working on this particular project has been both amazing and frustrating all at the same time. It’ a unique development which has seen a real buzz around the community but it’s been a difficult task at times. Designing services for non-standard buildings, in particular the service routes have proved somewhat challenging, but nothing we haven’t managed to overcome, thankfully.”

Dunwoodie Architects, the creative brain behind the drawing of the structure, have been the lead design team for the entire development including the site itself and the openings of the containers; i.e. sliding doors, cut outs etc.

Peter Swift, Director at Dunwoodie says: “For the last few months we have been working with Danieli Holdings on the STACK shipping container retail, food and leisure village to be located on the site of the former Odeon Cinema on Pilgrim Street in Newcastle city centre.

“I spent the early part of 2017 on behalf of Danieli Holdings, carrying out research into similar schemes in London with the intention of bringing the concept to the north east. This was passed through planning and the build is now well underway.

“From an architectural point of view, it would be very easy to assume that this is a very straightforward simple development, but all the same planning, structural and services issues that are part of any complex city centre construction development come into play. In many ways, it is a more technically complex project than a traditional one. The research that our company has carried out over the last few months has proved invaluable in the success of the project.”

Newcastle headquartered Patrick Parsons have provided civil and structural engineering services on the scheme by way of the strengthening work on the containers and the bridge that will be built across the upper and lower levels of STACK.

Andy Turner, Structural Technician for the firm told us about his involvement: “STACK is like nothing I’ve ever worked on before and I can’t wait to see it completed. To me, it reminds me of playing with Lego bricks as a child, only now I’m playing with massive Lego bricks!

“If you could see my desk you’d see Jaffa Cake boxes stacked up to help us envisage the scheme. Following site surveys, it became apparent that the site slopes by about one metre in both directions, so we’ve installed a steel structure to ensure the containers are level.

“We are thrilled to be involved in such a unique project locally, we get a real sense of pride as the build continues and we are very excited to see STACK launch soon.”

Abbey Electricals are the last to be drafted in as their work can only be completed when all the containers are on site. They’ll have two phases to complete which is the ground and upper floor, and with time ticking to get STACK ready for launch, there’ll be 25 electricians on-site to ensure it is completed on time.

STACK will launch during the Great Exhibition of the North, housing a range of cafes, clothing outlets, bars, exercise studios and other shops across a two level development. With over 500 jobs set to be created from the build as well as using a host of local businesses, STACK can clearly be seen as a great idea to boost the local economy.

Neill Winch, director of the firm behind STACK, Danieli Holdings said: “I really feel a sense of community around STACK and now we’re at the final stages of the build, I can really see it coming together.

“It may still look like a building site but lots of the work has been carried out off-site so you’ll soon see it shaping up over the coming weeks. It’s a great project for the north east, there’s nothing quite like it outside of the capital and it’s just what Newcastle has been lacking.”

Concluded Winch: “With quarterly changes to our outside areas there’ll be something for the whole family. We’re really focused on promoting that STACK is a family-friendly, community hub and not just somewhere for people to attend for a drink on an evening. With a focus on small, local traders, we’ve really kept what we’re about at the forefront of our minds when accepting, or declining, potential businesses.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by JAM Prints & Marketing .