Oldfield Road, Berkshire, UK

Project Overview

In this project in Maidenhead, our Rail team tackled the challenge of designing a GRP staircase on a tricky embankment using our GRP structural profile sections and GRP grating treads.

Collaborative Working

We worked closely with the external design agency chosen by the end client, offering crucial material properties information to ensure the correct selection of profiles from our d² range. Whilst European Standard EN 13706 specifies the minimum requirements for the quality, tolerances, strength, stiffness and surface of structural profiles, our d² Dura Profiles exceed the E23 grade of the relevant standard by an incredible 50% on average, meaning we were able to recommend the use of smaller sections to achieve the desired strength within the specified design load and life expectancy requirements.

This collaborative effort between Dura and the design agency was fundamental in obtaining design approval, laying the foundation for the successful execution of the project.

Full Fabrication

Following the design approval, our skilled team engaged in the hands-on fabrication of the structure, stair treads and handrail components. The Dura Composites fabrication was fully assembled, labelled, and sent to site for installation by Balfour Beatty. To streamline the installation process, we disassembled the fully fabricated components into modular units to make assembly as streamlined as possible. Precision and attention to detail were paramount to meet the project’s specifications and ensure the structural integrity of the final installation.

Successful Project Delivery

The staircase, designed for a challenging embankment, was a collective achievement, which exemplifies our commitment to overcoming even the most complex of design challenges, ensuring precision in fabrication, and implementing innovative solutions for seamless project delivery.

This was a really great project to see come to fruition. The design support our team provided meant that we were really confident in the end solution. Being able to fabricate and then disassemble the structure at our Fabrication Centre saved a huge amount of installation time on site as the embankment steps then became a modular system (much like the parts of a Meccano toy), allowing for real simplicity during construction.

Richard Palmer

Rail Sector Manager at Dura Composites

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