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The new Ascot racecourse opened in time for the ulimate event in the horseracing calendar – Royal Ascot, which was founded in 1711.

From the start there was a unique understanding within the team that the project had to be delivered by this year’s Royal Meeting in June – no easy task given that after the demolition stage they had just 16 months to build the stand.

HOK Sport Architecture were appointed for the £200 million redevelopment project, one of numerous sports venues for which they have been responsible, including Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium and Arsenal’s new home, the Emirates Stadium.

‘Ascot will now be a place where the sport of horse racing is transformed into an open, demystified and spectacular event,’ says lead architect Rod Sheard. ‘This is a racecourse for racegoers with more public viewing in more places than ever before.’ The new parade ring, which will double up as the winners’ enclosure, has a glass fronted weighing room.

During the second half of this decade, Ascot will incorporate some of the most up to date technology. The racecourse is already wireless throughout and has some 800 high definition Sony television screens.

Laing O'Rourke was main contractor for the shell and core works. Various elements, including the glazing, were placed with specialist contractors. ‘The client felt that they would get more value for money by splitting it up’, says Philip Johnson, Project Designer for HOK Sport Architecture.

Glazing subcontractors

The list of sub contractors for glass and metalwork includes Portal, Optima Architectural Glass and Custom Metal Fabrications, plus overseas companies Tuschmid (royal box screen) and Grill and Grossman (structural glazing).

Double height glazed screens with flush swing doors, and an extensive system of sliding folding glass doors at either end of the grandstand, were the work Portal (www.portal-ltd.com).

A Schuco system was used for the double height screens, each being 9 metres wide by 5.2m tall and incorporating a flush swing door with full height handle. Low-e glass was used in these screens, which are framed by the terracotta rainscreen that runs the length of the grandstand. Portal also bolted 1,000 toughened glass panels into a system of folding screens with central sliding doors for rows of executive boxes at each end of the grandstand. These are either side of the double height screens and also framed by the terracotta rainscreen. Screens were single glazed and use a bespoke framing system, designed to be as light as possible.

Balustrading

Optima Architural Glass (www.optimaglass.com) was responsible for some 2.2km of internal balustrading for the internal gallerias in Levels 2 to 6 and stairways connecting the floors. Metalwork was cloaked with an aerofoil shaped oak hand rail, with infill panels in 17.5mm toughened laminated glass, supplied by CT Glass.

OAG also supplied painted black glass bonded to plywood for the food outlets and other booths in the concession area at the back of the Grandstand.

Into horse racing? Try the Glass Age Raceday on the 7th of September. See page 33 for details.