Preston Bus Station

Preston Bus Station has suffered some minor but conspicuous repairs and interventions in the past.  As admirers of this iconic building, our aim was to leave the original structure untouched wherever feasible. This approach was shared by the whole project team, requiring close examination of any proposed demolition. Where intervention was needed, there was a wealth of archived drawings, allowing us to understand how the original structure was designed.

In one location the removal of a structural wall from beneath a cantilever beam changed the way the beam behaved, reversing the direction of bending. Unable to accurately confirm the existing reinforcement, we reverted to designing the beam as we would have in the 1960s for the original condition and then confirmed the adequacy of the design for the new loads. This avoided the need for new structural elements and maintained the floor-to-ceiling heights of the original design. 

Elsewhere, radar scanning proved useful and allowed us to design a modification procedure for the main columns, installing additional reinforcing links within the existing column size to replace structural restraint lost when adjoining parapet walls were demolished.