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Atkins - the official engineering design services provider for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
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Falkirk Wheel a winner for Bennett Associates at
2002 Structural Steel Design Awards

 
   

Engineering solutions provider Bennett Associates is celebrating its role in the creation of the Falkirk Wheel following this year's Structural Steel Design Awards.

Launched in 1969 the purpose of the awards is to recognise the high standards of structural, architectural and engineering design attained in the use of steel and this year the judges singled out the world's first rotating boat lift for an Engineering Award.

Commenting on this year's awards Nick Cooper, managing director of Bennett Associates said; " It is very rewarding to have your efforts in such a project recognised in this way. Very few people who will see the Wheel working will ever realise just what has been achieved and the problems that have been overcome by the engineers, designers and fabricators.

What was so unusual about this whole project was that everyone involved was working in relatively unknown territory. It is the first ever rotating boat lift that has been designed and as such nobody had any prior experience of building such a machine. We had to come up with solutions for watertight lock gates and their associated controls as well as the mechanism that drives the whole wheel and also keeps the gondolas stable. In providing these solutions we had to draw on our experience gained in other fields including tunnelling machinery and the sub sea oil industry.

We already knew of solutions that worked and had already been well proven in these other industries so we supplied the various elements almost like pieces of a jigsaw. Then, with the fabricators Butterley Engineering, all the pieces were knitted together so that the finished machine matched the vision put on paper by the architects, RMJM. The simplicity and effectiveness of the final product stemmed from an in-depth understanding of the interaction between the mechanical and structural elements of the wheel provided by Bennetts multi discipline team. The company's involvement permitted a constant feedback between architects and engineers to create a workable solution."

The Falkirk Wheel is just one of a series of Millennium projects in which Bennett Associates has had a major involvement alongside the appointed architect and contractor. One of these other projects, and another award winner at the 2002 Structural Steel Design Awards, was the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, where the company was responsible for the conceptual mechanical and electrical design elements of this innovative moveable structure.


 
   
For more information, contact us on 01709-373782

Related links:
.Falkirk Wheel Boatlift
.Royal Party to meet Designers of Falkirk Wheel Boatlift

M G Bennett and Associates Ltd is now part of the Atkins - the official engineering design services provider for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Group
Atkins - the official engineering design services provider for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
 

Nick Cooper, Managing Director of Bennett Associates accepts the award
Nick Cooper, Managing Director of Bennett Associates accepts the award

The Falkirk Wheel Boatlift
The Falkirk Wheel Boatlift