Eye-catching – the huge structure spanning 179m has been designed to blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape. CGI courtesy of Twelve Architects and Masterplanners.
Finley Structures helps bring landmark Haynes Park vision to life
RAISING THE DOME
WORDS: MARTIN WALKER
When completed, it will become the largest clearspan building of its kind in the UK, a remarkable feat of engineering capable of accommodating 25,000 people beneath a single roof.
But while the new multi-faith arena at Haynes Park, in Bedfordshire, will undoubtedly become one of Britain ' s most striking new structures, it also represents something else – another example of North-East engineering expertise helping to deliver nationally significant projects.
Newton Aycliffe-based Finley Structures has secured the steelwork package for the landmark development, which is being delivered on behalf of Science of the Soul British Isles, an international organisation dedicated to spiritual education and community engagement.
Designed to replace a temporary tent structure that has been erected annually for the past 25 years, the new permanent venue will sit within the historic grounds of the Grade I-listed Haynes Park House and provide a worldclass setting for large-scale spiritual, cultural and educational gatherings.
For Finley Structures, it is one of the most technically challenging and prestigious projects in the company ' s history.
Managing director Julie Raistrick describes it as a project that has been more than two years in the making.
“ We’ ve been working on this since April 2024,” said Julie.
“ I was contacted by someone who we had worked with on another project and asked whether we ' d be interested.
“ Since then, we ' ve worked closely with the client as the project gathered momentum and moved towards construction.”
The scale of the development is extraordinary.
The arena will take the form of a vast circular dome structure spanning 179m, supported by around 3,300 tonnes of steelwork.
While Finley Structures has delivered projects involving similar tonnages before – most notably the vast Milburngate development in Durham city centre for Tolent – Julie says the complexity of the design sets it apart.
“ This is classed as a superstructure,” she said.
“ The tonnage isn ' t necessarily the
Training – Finley Structures is nurturing young talent, including apprentices Adam Young and Brandon Walton. PICTURE: TOM BANKS
biggest we ' ve ever done, but the technical complexity certainly makes it one of the most unique projects we ' ve worked on.”
The building has been designed to blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape.
Inspired by Bedfordshire ' s Greensand Ridge, the shallow dome will be partially sunk below ground level and covered with a biodiverse sedum roof, creating the appearance of a natural landform emerging from the parkland.
At its centre will sit a state-of-theart spherical auditorium featuring radial seating, an elevated stage and a striking
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