Royal Quays Retail Outlet

This landmark retail outlet site, the focus for an urban regeneration scheme, was deliberately designed to evoke the maritime heritage of the area with its aluminium masts and white PVC multi-coned walkway canopies reminiscent of the sailing ships that once thronged the River Tyne. The fabric designers were set a hard task by the architect who severely limited the vertical displacement of the walkway canopies and the loads transferred to the structure. Resolving these difficulties was a triumph for the fabric design team. Walkway canopies of nine different sizes and three distinct forms were supplied to shelter the frontage of eighty five retail units on this 22 acre site. The majority of the canopies were tensioned by a pair of inclined cable stayed push down arms whilst the canopies on the main external aspect were of twin coned PVC construction supported by stainless steel cables suspended from bespoke alloy masts.