Teague and Sally - General Other - UK
Date: 25 Jul 2008
A Cookstown-based Architecture and Structural Engineering firm has won a major award for its design of a unique control tower built at Omagh's Healy Park GAA grounds.
Teague and Sally, who designed the spectacular structure for Healy Park, Omagh, clinched top prize in the Under £750,000 category in the 2008 RSUA (Royal Society of Ulster Architects) Awards. It is the first time the practice has featured as a winner in the awards.
As Teague and Sally Director Roger Sally explains, the design team drew inspiration from a number of areas.
"The team travelled extensively to see some of the top sports' stadia in the UK and Ireland, but we have to pay credit to the Tyrone County Board and Sports NI for being open-minded enough to encourage us to take such an imaginative and innovative approach. We believe the Tyrone County Board has set new standards with the provision of this fantastic facility and there is no doubt it has now become a blueprint for others to emulate throughout the UK and Ireland. The feedback from other sporting organisations has been very positive and a number of them have visited Healy Park to see the control tower for themselves.
Associate Architect John O'Donnell believes the innovative design created various challenges for the engineers and contractors, but is pleased with how the finished product has been achieved through a combination of creative design and practical thinking.
"One of the challenges for example, was how to protect players on the pitch from distracting reflections on the glass, but we managed to avoid this by installing the planar glazing system at a 15 degree slope, reducing excessive solar glare."
"The careful crafting of bespoke detailing has given this building its distinct character, while close teamwork with the Tyrone County Board, Frank Fee QS, Henry Toner Associates (M&E Consultants) and McAleer and Teague (Building Contractor), has enabled the job to be successfully delivered on time and within budget. We are delighted to have won such a prestigious award and we are equally delighted that our design is now attracting such a high level of interest."
Located behind the terracing and directly opposite the recently constructed 5,000 seat cantilevered stand, the tower comprises a retail unit and associated facilities, modern media centre and control room. The control room is home to the event controller, safety officer and emergency services staff and provides a panoramic view of the entire playing area, terraces and stand.
Safety is a major feature incorporated into the design by Teague and Sally - a bank of monitors linked to a newly installed CCTV system provides full coverage of all areas of the stadium, while an electronically-controlled linkage to turnstiles keeps up-to-date tabs on the size of the crowd. And for a real bird's eye view of all the action, camera crews can take to the roof itself where specially designed locations have been included for 'in-your-face' filming. In addition to visual excellence, broadcasters in the media centre on level two can also control the level of external atmosphere in their reports by electronically piping the sounds from the fans directly into their transmissions.
The high specification control tower is part of the third phase of a major development at Healy Park which also includes a 5,000 seat cantilevered stand, a new floodlighting system, team changing and spectator facilities.
Pictured with their RSUA Award are (from left): Roger Sally (Teague and Sally Architectural Director); John O'Donnell (Associate Architect) and Johnston Bell (Structural Engineering Director).
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