INTERNATIONAL-CONVENTION-CENTER, BIRMINGHAM - STRUCTURES AND RAILWAY VIBRATION ISOLATION

The City of Birmingham's brief for the International Convention Centre and its Symphony Hall required that the facilities should rival the best in the world. The two-and-a-half hectare City Centre site is bisected by a mid-nineteenth century main-line railway tunnel, and is bounded by canals and busy roads. The complex also had to incorporate public access so that it would become integral with the life of Birmingham. The project achievements include: firstly, a planning arrangement which minimizes a major engineering problem while permitting integral or separate use of a variety of facilities; secondly, a reduction of the vibration from the railway beneath the site to an extent which tested the limits of both technology and workmanship.