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Star stages event industry first at Structural Awards

Star Events’ VerTech Ultra stages for the Adele 25 tour are the first ever event industry design to win at the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) Structural Awards, which recognises exemplary engineering, creativity and innovation on a worldwide basis.

Developed, built, tested and shipped to Australia in just four months for the start of a genuinely in-the-round stadium tour, the identical structures suspended 90 tons of production equipment at 25m above the ground.

They also had to put Adele close to her audience, at the singer’s specific request, and preserve sightlines across stadiums with audiences in excess of 95,000. Attendance records were broken at every stadium, including Wembley

Now in its 50th year, the Structural Awards’ judging panel comprises some of the most experienced and respected professionals in structural engineering. Their specialisms include academia, architecture, construction, sustainability, innovation and research.

Awarding the Best Small Project (of between £1-3m) to Star, the judges highlighted VerTech Ultra’s bespoke features enabling the structure to reach beyond previous bounds of stadium stage touring in-the-round. How the design response focused on minimising working at height, creating unobstructed views by negating traditional bracing, and facilitating containerised transportation and rapid erection.

A spokesperson for the judges said: “The Adele 25 Stage engineering took account of the vast constraints and design drivers to produce a safe, efficient, elegant and reusable structure. The adaptability in its design allows it to be used in different countries, taking account of change in environments, multiple design code requirements and variable foundation and support conditions. It is also designed to be easily transportable and reusable, and easy and fast to construct, which allows for repeat use and therefore minimises costs.”

Roger Barrett, Star Events’ special projects director, comments:

“It is a brilliant achievement for the whole Star team in conjunction with our structural engineers, OPS Structures, to have our temporary structure engineering recognised, on a truly global level, by a team of eminent judges who have no connection with the events industry.”

22nd November 2017

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