Luxury Cinema Sheffield
Luxury Cinema Sheffield
The Client Brief
Work is well underway on the development of luxury cinema construction all over the UK.
S and B EPS Ltd are delighted to be the manufacturing partner, alongside American company Stadium Seating Enterprises and EOMAC UK Ltd., providing state of the art DryFit™ PREFoam™ Stadium Seating Riser System solutions for the expansion of the auditoria seating areas.
The latest project located in the heart of Sheffield’s ‘The Moor’ shopping district, will become host to a brand new, 9 screen multiplex cinema, as well as accommodating a number of new shops and restaurants. The focus is to provide an opulent social hub in an area currently undergoing significant re-development.
Standing by his customer promise of ‘you’ll always have the best seat in the house’, CEO of the Light Cinemas, Keith Pullinger insists that “every seat is designed to be extra wide, with a generous amount of legroom as standard”. Customer comfort, well formulated sightlines and good disabled access are all a major consideration in the company’s contemporary cinema experience.
The Challenge
Naturally, on a build of this scale, it was crucial to specify a rapid, yet robust method of construction for the expansion of the auditoria seating areas and Stadium Seating Enterprises’ innovative DryFit™ PREFoam™ Stadium Riser System, installed by EOMAC Ltd and locally sourced and manufactured by S and B EPS, proves to be the perfect solution.
Supplied in various thicknesses and weighing an average of half a kilo per cubic foot, the modular polystyrene blocks are 100% recyclable and extremely lightweight, keeping manual handling to a minimum.
Pre-engineered in the United States and pre-fabricated locally in the UK, the EPS insulation is supplied cut to size and each piece numbered, so they can be easily manoeuvred through pedestrian doorways and areas still undergoing construction.
The polystyrene foam blocks are delivered per auditorium and are coordinated with the installation crew at EOMAC on site for a just-in-time delivery schedule to minimize downtime of the theatre and maximize efficiency of the installation. A full set of detailed shop drawings are prepared and supplied to the installing contractor by Stadium Seating Enterprises so they are aware of the intended location for each piece of EPS block.
Installation couldn’t be simpler or quicker either. The pre-numbered blocks slot together like a jigsaw puzzle and are adhesively and mechanically fixed on the riser and tread of each level. EOMAC has experience installing these riser systems on multiple projects throughout the United States and Canada and has now brought this technology to the UK alongside Stadium Seating Enterprises, manufactured by S and B EPS out of Cramlington.
The insulation is then encapsulated in two layers of 18mm plywood, ready to accept the finished flooring surface.
A great plus point on these types of schemes is that because of the geometry of the blocks, the weight is distributed evenly across the surface and no point load is achieved.
S and B’s Managing Director Darren Smith, said: “This is a very exciting project for S and B EPS to be involved in and hopefully the first of many.
“Although the technology has been used on stadia seating across the United States for a number of years, it is still a unique concept in the UK. The collaboration between Stadium Seating, EOMAC and S and B has evolved over a period of 4 years, with much collaboration having taken place during that time.
“It’s particularly satisfying that from a simple introductory Skype call, we are now manufacturing and witnessing the installation of their PREFoam™ EPS systems on local UK based projects and theatres.
“The flexibility and speed of installation is absolutely key to this system’s success. Since all systems are custom designed and manufactured for each individual application, the fact that they’re of a modular nature means that they’re ideal for either new construction or retrofit and renovation situations.
“Steel, concrete and EPS components can be made in virtually any height or depth and can easily be adapted to conform to virtually any platform design, shape or configuration in any cinema, theatre, lecture hall, worship facility or performing arts auditorium.
“The possibilities are endless and I’ve no doubt that this method is set to revolutionise the design and construction of staged seating projects in the UK in the future”.
The Light Cinema, Sheffield, is due to open its doors in Spring 2017.
This is a very exciting project for S and B EPS to be involved in and hopefully the first of many