Eleven Arches

EirEng were the lead designers on an outdoor theatre site in Bishop Auckland, Durham. This is a very interesting project that was completed with our Geotechnical Partners, Coffey.

It involved the construction of a large outdoor performance arena for the spectacular Kynren Show that depicts 2000 years of English history.

Inspired by the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, this show required the design and construction of an 8000 seater amphitheatre with a stage set within and just under the surface of a 6 meter-deep artificial lake, as well as rotating stages along with all of the ancillary buildings (including animal welfare facilities, actor facilities and visitor facilities) and all infrastructure required to mount the show.

The site is located in a flood plain valley of the River Wear and the works included a detailed sustainable drainage design for the entire site to the approval of Durham County Council, Environmental Agency and Northumbrian Water.

Other associated civil work included drainage, services, access roads, and bulk earthworks. The first series of shows opened in July 2016 after a fast-track design and construction period.