Support for Kirkgate Market
November 2016

Leeds City Council has recently undertaken a £13.7m refurbishment of Kirkgate Market. The most dramatic changes have taken place in the ‘1976’ Hall which has been transformed into a unique central meeting point for shoppers. A key part of this transformation was the use of vibrantly coloured walls and fixtures, including 4.5m high column casings that would encase floor to roof I beams, positioned above four catering units in the hall. The casings would need to be a combination of function and form; effectively and safely housing a large array of unsightly power conduits, water pipes and ventilation ducting, whilst presenting an attractive appearance.

Critically the roofs of the catering units were effectively non weight bearing and could not be used to support the column casings. In addition there was no guarantee that the hall roof would be strong enough to take the weight of the casings, without time consuming and costly static load testing.

In response, CAB member Contour Casings Ltd developed a bespoke system of attaching the casings to the I beams, using a series of supporting frames with cantilever arms and which did not entail drilling or affecting the beams’ structural integrity. In the load tests, Contour subjected a single supporting frame to weights in excess of 100kgs; far more than would be applied to each frame in reality. The frame system passed with flying colours and with each column casing being held in place by 4 frames attached to an I beam, installation could proceed in full confidence.

The column casings themselves were produced from 3mm aluminium sheet providing strength, rigidity and lightness. With each column casing powder coated in an individual 30% gloss RAL colour, the finished effect is quite stunning.

www.contourcasings.co.uk