Burrington NATS Radar Tower

Project Summary

End Client: National Air Traffic Services (NATS)

Client: UK Living Conditions Ltd (UKLC)

Location: Burrington, Devon, United Kingdom

Project Type: 20 m Steel Radar / Radome-Support Tower and New Foundation Design

Services Provided

• Structural Design
• Steel Tower Design and Modular / DfMA Development (wider tower programme)
• Finite Element Analysis
• Steel Connection Design
• Base Plate and Anchor Design
• Reinforced-Concrete Foundation and Geotechnical Design
• Wind Loading and Global Stability Verification
• Construction-Stage Design Verification
• Fabrication and Installation Coordination (wider tower programme)

1. Project Background

Beta Design Consultants (BDC) supported the Burrington radar infrastructure project in Devon as part of a wider programme of replacement radome-support towers. The new 20 m steel tower is designed to carry a radome at its upper platform, with an approximately 10 m base diameter and 12.5 m maximum diameter. The project required close integration of the tower structure, supporting foundation, access arrangements and construction methodology.

BDC was appointed by UK Living Conditions Ltd to undertake the structural design of the new tower foundation. BDC also contributed to the modular steel tower solution developed for the wider radar programme.

2. Engineering Brief and Design Challenges

The foundation had to accommodate tower self-weight, radar equipment and significant wind actions while meeting geotechnical and structural performance requirements. The engineering approach considered operational and extreme survival wind scenarios and the transfer of loads through tower legs, base plates, anchors and reinforced concrete.

The wider programme required structural stiffness, transportability and practical installation across multiple radar sites. These considerations informed the modular tower arrangement and coordination of structural andoperational requirements.

3. Beta’s Scope of Services

• Reinforced-concrete foundation structural design and geotechnical verification.
• Review of tower reactions and governing load combinations, including wind effects.
• Global stability checks for bearing, sliding and overturning.
• Reinforcement design and bending, shear and punching-shear verification.
• Steel base-plate and anchor-bolt analysis at the tower–foundation interface.
• Design risk review and coordination of foundation construction requirements.
• Construction-stage foundation verification using concrete cube test results.

4. Modular Steel Tower and Support Arrangement

The replacement tower uses a braced steel lattice arrangement to provide a direct load path between the elevated platform and foundation. The wider modular design strategy employed repeatable intermediate sections approximately 5 m long, supporting fabrication, transport and erection. Bolted connections and bracing contribute to overall stiffness and buildability.

4.1 BIM and Operational Coordination

The wider NATS radar tower programme incorporated Building Information Modelling (BIM) to coordinate structural design with operational, maintenance and fabrication requirements. The coordinated design approach considered interfaces such as hoist beams, access hatches, cable management routes and access for antenna maintenance.

The programme-level BIM strategy included development to Level of Detail (LOD) 350, supporting review of the relationship between structural steelwork and operational equipment before construction. For Burrington, this approach provided a useful coordination framework for the elevated platform, bracing and access arrangements. The extent of site-specific LOD 350 deliverables remains subject to project-record confirmation.

This BIM-led approach linked structural engineering, operational requirements, fabrication information and installation planning within the wider modular tower strategy.

5. Wind Loading and Structural Reactions

Foundation design was based on tower reactions obtained from structural analysis and evaluated under relevant load combinations. Wind exposure was considered for operating and survival conditions, including forces acting on the tower frame and radome. The assessment incorporated simultaneous forces and moments at the four main support locations.

6. Base Plates, Anchors and Connection Design

The tower-leg-to-foundation connection was assessed as a critical interface. IDEA StatiCa analysis considered compression, shear, moment and uplift through steel base plates and anchor assemblies, including interactions between steel components, anchors and concrete.

7. Design Verification and Quality Assurance

The foundation design was reviewed against concrete cube test results recorded after the pour. Construction-stage verification helped check the design basis against available material-strength evidence. The engineering documentation also addressed reinforcement arrangements, anchor requirements, foundation protection and coordination with site constraints.

8. Construction and Installation Considerations

Modular framing, accessible bolted interfaces, bracing and integrated access arrangements support fabrication and erection planning. At foundation level, accurate setting-out of tower supports and anchors is essential to successful installation.

8.1 Installation and Lifting Strategy

The modular steel tower arrangement was developed with consideration for transportation, lifting and site assembly. Repeatable structural sections enabled the erection process to be considered in manageable stages, with particular attention to lifting access, temporary stability, connection accessibility and the sequence of assembling the steel framework and elevated platform.

At Burrington, coordination between the tower support arrangement, foundation connections and construction methodology was important to establishing a practical installation strategy. This approach aligned permanent structural design requirements with fabrication and construction considerations, while recognising the access and operational constraints typical of specialist radar infrastructure sites.

9. Project Benefits

10. Outcome and Beta Design Consultants Capability

The Burrington project demonstrates BDC’s capability to combine structural modelling, foundation design, geotechnical interpretation, steel connection analysis and construction-stage verification for specialist radar infrastructure. The design work established a coordinated technical basis for the replacement tower foundation and critical support interfaces.