The stunning and innovative £85 million WestQuay Watermark development in Southampton features a 10-screen multiplex cinema, bowling alley, restaurants and cafés. The UK’s largest restaurant and dining complex has been designed by architects Acme. The building features a dramatic cantilevered box wrapped in a transparent skin of curving stainless steel silver tubes.
In order to match the vertical cladding, SAS Special Projects created a bespoke SAS750 Tubeline in a 76mm diameter for the external soffit. The team also designed, manufactured and installed bespoke SAS suspension systems. This grid work and suspension system was painted black in order to hide and expose the main tube design. A bird mesh was integrated above the tubular sections to prevent bird entry.
An additional challenge during the design and installation of 750m2 of SAS750 Tubeline was the alignment of the tubes with the vertical cladding. This was achieved by using a suspension system that could be easily adjusted in-situ.
SAS750 Tubeline can accommodate a wide range of bespoke profile shapes, sizes and waveforms. For this external application, every radius was different and there were also compound curves. The Tubeline system was powdercoated metallic grey in the SAS factory to create a seamless match with the vertical cladding.
With the building being near the coast, the external skin required C4 corrosion protection. The material and paint used had to accommodate saline or marine environments and be able to be designed to withstand wind loads. SAS developed bespoke end caps in line with the architect’s specification to close the ends of the tubes.
Open to the public, the WestQuay Watermark development and its dramatic, cantilevered tube-clad box has now become a centerpiece of Southampton’s regeneration.