York Guildhall refurbishment project

Event details

York Society of Engineers Lecture

York Guildhall forms a large part of York’s history dating from the 15th century, with a prominent position on the River Ouse. The talk will cover  the history, design, delivery and future of this amazing building from a client, design team, contractor and future occupier perspective.

Richard Stephenson, Property Services Commissioning Manager from  City of York Council will be giving an introduction and discussing the  delivery of this project from a client perspective. 

Faye Davies, Managing Director from Burrell Foley Fischer will be  discussing the designs for the refurbishment and remodelling of the  historic Grade I, II* & II listed buildings at York Guildhall, which started on  site in late 2019. The vision for the project is to provide a world-class  venue, supporting and nurturing the expansion of York’s vibrant  businesses; combining events and exhibition space with state of the art  collaboration and co-working facilities in the heart of a historic and  creative city, securing a sustainable future for one of the city’s most iconic  buildings. 

Arup are the Civil and Structural Engineers for the project. Rick Lee,  Principal Structural Engineer, will be discussing solving the unique  structural challenges that this historic building has presented. From  solving cracks that you can get your hand in, to sensitive interventions  with historic fabric and interfacing with new build elements. 

Bart Stevens is director of SGA Consulting who are the environmental  consultants and are designing the mechanical and electrical services for  the project. He will be discussing the ways that the carbon footprint of the  scheme was reduced as much as possible. The main element being that  the River Ouse is used as a source of heating and cooling for the  building. There were also many challenges incorporating modern  services into the listed buildings. 

Rob Henderson, Project Manager for Vinci will discuss the delivery aspect  of this challenging project. The Guildhall and its associated buildings are  trapped between the River Ouse and the buildings fronting Lendal. With  limited access from the street, Vinci have had to utilise the river for  deliveries including erecting a tower crane from a stabilised platform in  the river that was floated up from further downriver. Vinci have also had to  carefully select plant and constructions methods to make use of the  restricted width alleys that give access to the site. The progress on site to  date includes underpinning the Tower, demolishing various structures,  installing SFA piles, completing the reinforced concrete works, commencing the steel frame erection, replacing various roofs and  commencing the listed building repair and refurbishment works. 

Professor Kiran Trehan, PVC for Partnerships and Engagement at the  University of York will be discussing the future of the building. The  University of York is planning to take a 15 year lease of one of York’s  most prestigious historic buildings, creating a City centre hub for  business, enterprise and events. The new space will enable the  University to bring the support it offers to local business and enterprise  into the heart of York, driving inclusive and sustainable growth in the City  as it recovers from the pandemic. 

Joining Instructions

The lecture will be given remotely using Zoom. 

Please note the change from the joining instructions of previous talks. 

1. Please enter (copy/paste) the link below in your internet browser: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83474191690?pwd=L3kzdW5JLzBBbDI3 WmR4T2VyMjNVZz09
2. If prompted, click “Open Zoom Meetings” or “Launch Meeting”
3. Click “Join a Meeting” 
4. Enter the meeting ID number: 834 7419 1690 
5. Enter your name. 
6. If prompted, enter Meeting Passcode: 592373 
7. Click “Join Meeting” 
8. Select if you would like to connect audio and/or video and click  “Join”

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