JMS announced as finalists in Midlands Structural Awards

JMS announced as finalists in Midlands Structural Awards

Local business, JMS Consulting Engineers, has been announced as a finalist in the Midlands Counties Structural Awards. The company were nominated for the work they undertook involving a giant Liver Bird sculpture; a joint commission by The Derwent Group and the makers of Meccano, Spin Master.

Emma’s prize bird

When renowned artist Emma Rogers, who has previously designed Liver Birds in Liverpool, was tasked with designing her most ambitious Bird yet, she knew she wanted to honour one of the city’s most celebrated toy makers; Frank Hornby.  The former site of his factory, which is now home to Liverpool Shopping Park, was the chosen location for what would become the biggest Liver Bird in the world.

Emma’s design was based on Hornby’s best loved creation, Meccano, and for many engineers of a certain age, a Meccano set may well have been their first foray into the world of construction. However, Emma’s designs called for Meccano pieces of a much larger scale than the originals.

Building the bird

With the scale of the project so large, Emma turned to Art Fabrication’s Andy Langley with creating the giant Meccano pieces required.  Andy, in turn, tasked JMS’ Midlands team with the job of engineering the structure and creating the stylish plinth it would perch upon.

“It’s a real honour to be involved in this beautiful celebration of Liverpool’s history and culture,” says JMS’s Andy Kenyon. “And we’re delighted that the finished product, which is made from seven tonnes of steel, and involved over 1,000 hours of metalworking from our team, has been earmarked for such a highly respected industry award. Emma’s artistic designs were phenomenal, and we’re over the moon that we were able to do them justice.”

As Emma herself said: “They really captured the intricacies of my design and translated my artistic vision, whilst retaining the character of the bird perfectly on such a huge scale.”

Being part of a project that breaks records, adds to the culture of a city, and celebrates the favourite toy of many generations of young engineers, is a great honour for JMS.

The awards will be announced on the 16th November at The Birmingham Council House, Victoria Square.

The 11-meter tall Meccano inspired bird can be seen at the Liverpool Shopping Park. For more information visit the JMS Consulting Engineer’s website.

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