Sep5
Animate Preston
Posted by Ashlea Williamson
Project Overview
The site of Preston’s former indoor market has seen a recent transformation designed to inject new life into the economy of the city’s Harris Quarter. Animate is a flagship £45million cinema and leisure complex, spanning an impressive 100,000 square feet. It represents Preston City Council’s largest ever investment in the city centre.
The project was delivered in partnership with Maple Grove Developments and the Eric Wright Construction Group, with the design concept realised by Leach Rhodes Walker Architects. Animate was partly funded with a share of the £20million Preston Town Fund, and results in the city’s largest leisure attraction. It is anticipated that Animate will bring increased visitor numbers, encourage shopper ‘dwell time’, and fuel the city’s nighttime economy.
Visitors to Animate can enjoy the eight-screen Arc Cinema, the 16-lane Hollywood Bowling Alley, numerous eateries serving up a wide variety of global food cultures, and street food outlets housed in the Mad Giant Food Hall. The project’s popularity with the hospitality sector was immediately evident when all of the restaurant units were let before the building was even completed. The wider community has also benefitted from jobs, apprenticeships, use of local suppliers, and work experience and volunteer programmes.
Animate promises to be the focal point of Preston’s rejunvenation, and is testament to the many years of hard work invested by all parties involved in bringing the original vision to life.
Client Brief
Animate presented various different roof areas across the expansive site. The client required a strategic
waterproofing solution from a single-source supplier, to ensure maximum efficiency from specification, through installation to completion. Consistent technical support and comprehensive warranty were also a key consideration in the roofing specification.
Solution
In total, 3,000m2 of Hydrotech hot-melt waterproofing was installed by Alumasc’s registered contractor, MAC Roofing & Contracting, across all of the large concrete deck areas spanning the entire Animate site.
Hydrotech is a hot-melt monolithic membrane applied in a liquid state, creating a seamless finish and containing 30% recycled content. BBA and ETA certified, the system achieves a fire classification rating of BROOF(t4), and is renowned for its exceptional performance and longevity, with over 50 years of proven global use and zero product failures. Suitable for new build applications, including designs to zero falls, Hydrotech is engineered to last the lifetime of the building structure, whilst supporting sustainability.
On the smaller upper roof areas, lift overruns and stairwell roof, a total of 150m2 of Alumasc’s Derbigum Mineral roofing system was installed, whilst Caltech QC Detailing, also from Alumasc, was utilised for several box details.
The successful track records of these trusted Alumasc Roofing systems, together with Alumasc’s 30-year warranty, will safeguard the client’s significant investment for the full service life of the roof.
Team Work
As with most new build projects, early engagement and complete transparency were essential to ensure the correct waterproofing solution was specified. A trusted, collaborative relationship with Leach Rhodes Walker Architects and Eric Wright Construction was maintained throughout the entire project lifecycle, from initial design and on-site support, to handover and aftercare.
MAC Roofing’s experience with Alumasc systems enabled them to provide essential input regarding the suitability of different products on specific roof areas; and the high quality of their installation will optimise product performance for years to come.
As a team, we provided comprehensive support and maintained regular communication and coordination
at every stage, reviewing key milestones and delivering a robust, all-inclusive waterproofing strategy across the Animate complex.