Derby Market Hall

Having won the ‘Best Renovation or Heritage Project’ at the IStructE East Midland Region Awards in February 2023, our Andy Leask attended Kegworth Hotel and Conference Centre last night to present to the East Midlands branch of the Institution of Structural Engineers on the Derby Market Hall project.

Appointed by Wates Construction on behalf of Derby City Council, Rodgers Leask has provided engineering consultancy support to the Market Hall refurbishment project which will see it revamped to provide flexible space to enable the provision of events such as food and music festivals as well as continuing to operate as a market hall.

Andy touched upon the history of the building, his childhood memories of the Market Hall and provided insight to the numerous technical and practical challenges the refurbishment has presented to the design team which also Includes Lathams.

Whilst the works to the roof and external façade were underway, a significant amount of scaffolding was required, making it one of the biggest scaffolding projects in Europe at the time.

Andy’s experience was invaluable when reviewing the roof structure – having raised concerns around moisture content, testing identified it to be in the region of 45-80%.

During construction, a tunnel was found which is believed to have linked the Lock-Up Yard to the Guildhall. It is suspected that this tunnel would have been used to transport prisoners between the two sites.Originally opened to the public in 1866 (costing £29,000 to build), we are excited to see the completion of this latest transformation which will transform the Grade II listed building into a contemporary and vibrant destination which will attract visitors to the City of Derby and bring together the best of the region’s independent shopping, eating, drinking and entertainment.