Excellence in Galvanizing
Worksop Galvanizing's role in the construction of an open air opera pavilion has been recognised at a prestigious industry awards ceremony.
The plant was called upon to galvanize more than 150 tonnes of structural steel used to create a demountable pavilion for the Garsington Opera Festival, an annual month-long musical extravaganza staged in the grounds of the Getty family’s Wormsley Estate in Buckinghamshire.
The project to build the innovative 600-seat, £2 million auditorium last summer has scooped the Galvanizing in Engineering category at the Galvanizers Association Galvanizing Awards 2012 ceremony held at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London on 27th June.
“Snell Associates, the architectural firm that designed the pavilion, based the structure on traditional Japanese Kabuki theatres, and it has created a really intimate atmosphere that combines superb acoustics for the performers with exceptional comfort for the audience,” Paul Robinson, Commercial Manager of Worksop Galvanizing, explained.
The team at Worksop Galvanizing worked closely with Nottingham-based engineering firm Sheetfabs Nottm Ltd and main project contractor Unusual Rigging of Northampton to produce the framework and secondary architectural steelwork at the facility, which will be disassembled after each festival and stored away until the following year’s performance.
The festival has taken out a 15-year lease at its new home in Wormsley, with the pavilion designed to have a working life covering at least this period of time.
Paul Robinson added: “Galvanizing the steel was a natural choice to ensure it is protected long-term against rust and corrosion, with the pavilion being an open air structure and exposed to the natural elements. But just as importantly, galvanizing is also a particularly durable finish, which is a key aspect considering that the building will be installed and demounted every year.”
First held back in 1979, the Garsington Opera Festival had previously been staged at Garsington Manor in Oxfordshire, but last summer’s event and subsequent concerts will now be held at the Getty’s country estate in High Wycombe. This year’s festival ran between June 2nd and July 3rd, and featured performances of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Vivaldi’s L'Olimpiade, and Offenbach’s La Périchole.