Success Portfolio

Eastgate Shopping Centre - Inverness

The recent extension to the Eastgate Shopping Centre in Inverness features a stunning array of handrails manufactured and installed by Haldane UK.

The handrails to the interior of the shopping centre features a combination of 3 profiles all manufactured from American White Oak.

The handrails to the lower atrium void are the pick of the bunch with a triangular profile measuring in at 195mm x 68mm framing the spectacular use of metalwork and glass to give a light airy atmosphere whilst retaining the warmth exuded by the timber.

The main staircase incorporated 50mm diameter handrails whilst the triangular profile to the lower atrium was mirrored by an impressive 150 x 50mm profile to the partitioning barriers in the food court.

The interior design incorporated long smooth contours requiring the handrail to be machined and installed to the very highest standards of finish and accuracies.

This was achieved through Haldane UK's investment in the latest 5 axis CNC technology which enables them to manufacture any handrails in any commercially available timber and to any profile.

However it is through the use of digitising equipment to plot the core rail, that Haldane are able to achieve the seemingly unattainable levels of finish that other contractors just can't compete with.

Haldane UK's Managing Director, Forrester Adam, explained, "The digitising equipment effectively carries out the process of reverse engineering whereby the core rail is plotted as a series of 3 dimensional points from a designated starting point. These points are then downloaded to the computer and a spleen drawing is created from which the CNC machines can manufacture the required components."

He continued, "The digitising equipment is so sophisticated, it is also used by some of the world's leading animators to create the growing trends in computer animation that has seen box office smashes such as Walt Disney's Toy Story."

Haldane's unrivalled capacity and capability was tested to the full as the project also incorporated the use of Iroko to the external areas of the Shopping centre.

For more information on the full range of services available from Haldane UK, contact our sales department on 01592 775656.