Royal Holloway, University of London

Royal Holloway is a prestigious London University, known for its sciences and the arts department with notable alumni including actor Mark Strong and singer-songwriter KT Tunstall.

Like many schools and universities, Royal Holloway was feeling the strain of rising pupil numbers on their indoor facilities. Naturally, they turned to their outdoor spaces to provide much needed relief and a new lease of life to previously underused areas.

The Brief

Situated on the Egham campus, the Student Union Plaza had some benches to sit on but that was about it. For the most part, it wasn’t a spot that students would use to rest, replenish or study. To change this, ArcCan was approached by JM Architects for a suitable tensile fabric courtyard canopy to provide approximately 100 square metres of cover for events and general activities in the Student Union building.

In the UK, where the weather is unpredictable and varied, it’s essential to install a waterproof canopy if you are looking to make use of outdoor spaces all year round.

The brief was not completely straightforward as the tarmacked area had a substantial slope and the structure had to be low enough not to restrict light and views from upstairs windows. A standard tented structure, either conic, barrel vault or pitch would be too high once the incline had been taken into consideration. This meant we had to get our thinking hats on for this courtyard canopy.

The Solution

In the event, we put forward an innovative design that incorporated a shallow cone supported on a central telescopic column, tensioned between curved peripheral columns of different heights. Part multi-hypar, part conic -the final installation is a practical and stylish solution that deals with rainwater, snow loads and high wind and as a testament to its design this courtyard canopy has now been in constant use for over eleven years and still looks fantastic.

The colour of choice for the powder coated steelwork and PVC-coated polyester fabric was white, to provide a classy yet understated appearance. The final installation not only draws attention to the revamped Union Plaza but will provide at least 20 years of all-weather protection.

Today, the Union Plaza is a thriving social space where students can enjoy burgers from a mobile caterer with plenty of benches to sit at and meet with friends under the permanent canopy. The canopy is used for a variety of uses – as an entrance canopy to the Union Building, an outdoor seating area and even as an event shelter.

The University was so pleased with the entrance canopy that we returned to the University in 2013 to install an Amberley timber-framed gazebo to cover an existing bench and smoking area.

If you are looking to install a courtyard canopy at your school, college or university then please contact us today to see how we can help.