Auckland Tower, Bishop Auckland - The Auckland Project

Client: The Auckland project

Project manager: Turner & Townsend
Architect: Niall McLaughlin Architects

Value: £2,500,000

Project overview

We were awarded a competitive contract to construct Auckland Tower & Visitor Centre in Bishop Auckland for The Auckland Project.

Scope of work

One of the main objectives was to construct a unique centre piece building that would sit outside the Castle grounds to welcome visitors to Auckland Castle and The Auckland Project. The design was to reflect the idea of overcoming the physical and conceptual barriers which historically existed between the town and castle. The structure was intended to emulate a great wooden siege engine drawn up against the castle’s fortification and the in-built viewing platform allows visitors access and insight into the former private palace by effectively ‘breaking down the walls’.

The timber structure was also intended to be a permanent reminder of the temporary wooden structures that historically used to be constructed in the marketplace for fairs and festivals. The tower and visitor centre are one of the premier elements of a wider effort to revitalise Bishop Auckland and Auckland Castle. The intention is to create world class art, faith and heritage attractions to draw in people from around the world. The project is headed by Jonathon Ruffer, the founder of The Auckland Project. The tower’s main function is to be a stand-out building that provides a warm welcome, ticket sales and information for visitors to The Auckland Project and its various attractions which are planned throughout the town.

The building, upon opening, was hailed a huge success with over 1000 visitors over the first weekend. During construction, particularly during the early stages, the building had a Marmite stature (love or hate). There were a substantial number of local people who opposed to its design and construction. However, as works progress and the building took shape, form and finally opened, public opinion within the town became very positive. Once the other surrounding buildings are open to the public, Jonathon’s vision is that this tower and the TAP project in large, will revitalise Bishop Auckland and put it back on the map by attracting visitors from around the world.

The £2.5m 30m high tower with 89 steps to its viewing platform and visitor centre are constructed primarily of concrete and larch. The unique design and construction methods, together with materials from around the world, presented a huge construction challenge. There were over 650 tonnes of concrete, over 23,000 metres of timber (larch), 77 panes of glass weighing up to 160kg each and 2325 handmade encaustic tiles, from Turkey, used in its construction.

Throughout the building process open days were held for the community to allow them access into the live construction site so they could appreciate the works and the challenges faced. This open access not only helped to promote our company and skills we have to offer but enabled the local community to feel part of the building and helped in breaking down the historic barriers that used to exist between the town’s folk and the private palace.

Some of the key skills and site-specific detailing within the building including:

The wood effect concrete on the walls and lift shaft.
The exposed timber frame structure.
The rainscreen cladding, including some etched text panels depicting the story of Bishop Auckland, Auckland Castle and the Prince Bishops of Durham throughout the Centuries.
The plywood lining and panelling to the walls and ceilings throughout the building and in particular the decorative ceiling panels to the first floor.
The metalwork throughout including the viewing gantries, stairs/landings, handrails, louvres, cappings, etc.
The automated shutters which will display artwork that can be viewed internally and externally.

End result

The building’s finish and function met the architect's and client's objectives. The client, design team and visitors have also been very complimentary about the quality and standard of finish and workmanship throughout the building.

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