Structural engineer warms to tropical island contract
June 3rd, 2008 by Julie
A NORTH-EAST consultant structural engineering company specialising in steel superstructures for buildings has clinched a prestigious overseas project providing designs for a tropical island resort.AMP Consultants has won a contract to produce light steel frame designs for seven different styles of villas on Cape Verde, off the west coast of Africa.
The villas will be built in Vivendas de Santiago, the second phase of the Sambala Village development on Santiago Island, known as the “bread basket” of the Cape Verde archipelago because of its lush vegetation. It will comprise 41 private villas with swimming pools, as well as 2 and 3 bedroom high spec townhouses.
The first phase of the development, including 68 townhouses and 382 apartments, is almost completed.
It is the first time AMP, based in Darlington, has exported its designs outside of Europe.
It was awarded the contract by the Portuguese arm of UK-based building development company WA Browne, of Billingham, Teesside. WA Browne’s Portuguese-based steel framing company is assembling the steel frameworks for the two and three-storey villas.
“We are proud to be part of a multi-cultural team working on Sambala Village,” says AMP managing director David Hodgson. “We are designing the steelwork in Darlington, it will be drawn by WA Browne’s Billingham office and then constructed using cold-rolled light steel in Portugal. On top of that, the architect is Brazilian and the local engineer is Portuguese - a truly international effort.”
Situated on a plateau 90 metres above Santiago’s Baia de San Francisco, Sambala Village offers spectacular mountainous scenery, white sandy beaches and lush plantations filled with banana, sugar cane, papaya, mango, date and coconut palms.
Construction began in 2005 and already much of the resort’s infrastructure, including a desalination plant, irrigation system and road network, is complete. The village will have shops, bars, restaurants and sports facilities.
Says Mr Hodgson: “We are designing seven styles of villas, ranging from single to three-storey, and each design is of a different complexity. We are following British design codes, while integrating Portuguese wind and seismic regulations.”
AMP has worked on several projects for WA Browne, including seafront apartments in Poole, Dorset, and an apartments complex in Balcombe Road, Wetherby, North Yorkshire.
For further information contact David Hodgson on 01325 481941
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