Cheshire building looks to stand firm against quakes

A set of specially made steel rafters are being manufactured for a Chester-based company seeking to make an earthquake-proof building.

The 40-metre rafters have been manufactured and painted by Allerton Steel, a Liverpool-based company and a member of NOF Energy, which won the contract to create 14 of these 50-ton beams for the Capenhurst-based URENCO ChemPlants enterprise near Chester.

Giles Penn, Managing Director of Allerton Steel, has stated that the company is scheduled to make one beam per week over a time period of 14 weeks. This includes painting and delivering them to Capenhurst, the location of the Tails Management Facility, in order to fend off earthquakes.

These steel girders will be used to create the support for the new roof, which, when fully developed, will be concealed with concrete to fulfil the building’s seismic requirement, giving the impression of sturdy concrete flooring.

Penn has pointed out that the company is proud of this particular job, as it is a landmark project under the company’s belt and paves the way for more to come in the future.

Business Development Manager of NOF Energy, Paul Livingstone, said that it is NOF Energy members such as Allerton Steel that continually push the boundaries and limits of what is possible. In terms of this particular project, he says that “there must be no limits to what can be achieved”.

Livingstone also paid tribute to Allerton Steel’s staff members, crediting their skills and leadership in delivering the project.