The team at Fordingbridge has begun construction of a 1,300sqm timber canopy in Inverness with a whopping 25m clear span.
Independently owned garden centre Simpsons was looking to create a striking covered retail space for its busy store just off the A9 and following the successful past installation of its hybrid steel and glulam entrance canopy, Fordingbridge was delighted to help.
Following a series or concise feasibility, planning and design meetings, the owners opted to replicate the style of the original structure, creating a contemporary mix of black finished steel with our well-known glulaminated (‘glulam’) timber arches. With all steel work, including the 5.7m tall columns pictured with a member of our site crew, manufactured in Fordingbridge’s purpose-built West Sussex factory, the materials and construction team made the 600-mile journey to Inverness and work at the centre is well underway.
The canopy will be the widest glulam canopy in the company’s history, with previous past record breakers including the single section timber arches as used on the Greenpower building. Fordingbridge also believes the structure to be the widest of its type in the UK.
The 14,000sqft canopy roofing will feature a combination of the exclusive Opal 60 tensioned membrane and a 16mm triple-wall polycarbonate to form a central roof lantern. Opal 60, designed exclusively for Fordingbridge, is a durable, recyclable and lightweight PVC fabric. It reduces solar gain for the comfort of customers, while still allowing a generous 60% natural daylight to permeate.
“With Fordingbridge design technicians accustomed to working with both steel and timber, we are able to create striking weather-protected spaces suitable for any environment,” said a company spokesperson.
“This approach also ensures longevity and sustainability is built-in to the structure. Our specially treated structural glulam arches are fabricated to our design from FSC/PEFC timber, ensuring not only the carbon embodiment but also future safety of those forests producing the lumber is high. Equally, our design has been future-proofed, allowing the canopy to be easily converted to a fully insulated building at a later date.”
With Fordingbridge elements due for completion in the coming weeks, the area surrounding the canopy will also be extensively landscaped, adding to the retail experience of the leading independent garden centre.