McArthurGlen Designer Outlet, Ashford – 35,000m² Continuous Tensile Membrane Roof by Richard Rogers Partnership
General information
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Home page
https://www.architen.com/projects/mcarthurglen-designer-outlet-village/
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Location address
McArthurGlen Designer Outlet, Ashford, Kent, UK
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Location country
United Kingdom
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Year of construction
1996
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Name of the client/building owner
BAA McArthur Glen UK Ltd
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Function of building
Shops and stores
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Degree of enclosure
Open structure
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Climatic zone
Temperate - cold winters and mild summers
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Number of layers
mono-layer
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Type of application of the membrane
covering
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Primary function of the tensile structure
- Daylight gains
- Rain protection
- Sun protection
- Wind protection
Description
Designed by Richard Rogers Partnership for BAA McArthur Glen UK Ltd, the Designer Outlet at Ashford in Kent is covered by a continuous PVC-coated polyester membrane roof around a kilometre long and roughly 35,000m² in area. On completion it was the largest continuous tensile membrane structure in the world, and it was the RIBA Journal's Building of the Month in April 2000.
Richard Rogers wanted to move away from the conventional enclosed mall and create an open-air shopping street protected from the weather. The roof follows a horseshoe plan over the retail units, with white membrane peaks rising between tall masts and bright orange steelwork. Built on a reclaimed brownfield site, its ridge-and-valley form echoes the surrounding Kent countryside and has become a regional landmark.
The structure is a true tensile system: each conic panel depends on its neighbours for stability, so the whole roof works as one prestressed surface. A tensile membrane allowed this vast area to be covered quickly and for far less than conventional roofing. Alongside the main canopy, a series of inverted cones, each covering about 9m², collect rainwater and channel it down their central columns.
Architen Landrell has continued to look after the roof since construction. A full maintenance visit, covering specialist cleaning, repairs, checks of fixings and fittings, and an inspection report, takes eight IRATA-trained rope access operatives around a month and is carried out over a live retail site. The membrane was later replaced and the roof reconfigured as part of the outlet's expansion; see the separate TensiNet entry for those works.
Client/building owner: BAA McArthur Glen UK Ltd. Architect: Richard Rogers Partnership. Engineer: Buro Happold. Membrane: Serge Ferrari. Membrane design, fabrication and installation: Architen Landrell.
Description of the environmental conditions
A lot of the structure is open and provides shelter for the retail units. The food court, which also has a fabric roof cover offers a semi-internal environment.
Material of the cover
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Cable-net/Fabric/Hybrid/Foil
Fabric
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Material Fabric/Foil
Polyester
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Material coating
PVC
Main dimensions and form
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Covered surface (m2)
35000
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Total length (m)
500
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Total width (m)
200
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Form single element
Anticlastic
Duration of use
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Temporary or permanent structure
Permanent
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Design lifespan in years
31-..
Involved companies
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Architects
Richard Rogers Partnership
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Engineers
Buro Happold
ARCHITEN LANDRELL
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Contractors
ARCHITEN LANDRELL
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Suppliers
SERGE FERRARI
