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Peoples Safety Ltd’s deployment of the Ringlock modular system has shown how engineered components can bring the adaptability, accuracy and efficiency that sensitive, multi-phase projects demand.
Working for Robertson Construction Central East, Peoples Safety has relied heavily on AT-PAC’s Ringlock to overcome challenges that would have been far more time-consuming and expensive with tube and fitting alone.
The Grand Old Lady gets a new lease of life
Despite operating continuously since 1906, the Grade A-listed theatre had reached the point where a comprehensive restoration project was unavoidable. The three-year refurbishment aims to preserve the building’s architectural character while finally delivering step-free access, enhanced backstage facilities and a raised fly tower capable of supporting modern productions. The King’s Theatre opened on 8 December 1906 with Cinderella, establishing a pantomime tradition that endures today. Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie laid the foundation stone, and architect J. D. Swanston designed the venue as a deliberate rival to the Royal Lyceum. Known locally as the “People’s Theatre”, it is recognised as Scotland’s oldest continuously operating theatre. In 2013, artist John Byrne added a distinctive ceiling mural inside the main dome, which has since become one of the building’s best-known features.
Building a scaffold inside a scaffold
A central element of the internal works is a full-height birdcage scaffold constructed inside the auditorium. AT-PAC’s Ringlock modular design proved critical here. The system’s standardised components allowed Peoples Safety to create a precisely aligned structure that could follow the auditorium’s irregular curves and varying geometries with far greater accuracy than conventional tube and fitting. The birdcage provides controlled access to Byrne’s painted dome while protecting the fragile Edwardian plasterwork below. Just as importantly, AT-PAC’s engineered connections enabled rapid assembly, allowing the team to build the structure efficiently and with reduced programme impact. One of the most demanding parts of the project is raising the fly tower by 4.5 metres. Peoples Safety originally constructed a 19-metre internal scaffold to support the removal of old rigging and steelwork. As the engineering plan evolved, this was extended to 24 metres to accommodate the new roof structure. This mid-project redesign demonstrated one of AT-PAC’s key advantages: the ability to modify, extend or reconfigure existing structures without dismantling large sections of scaffold. The modular system meant the team could respond to design changes quickly, maintaining safety and continuity while avoiding cost escalation.Making it fit where it should not
Heritage buildings rarely offer straightforward scaffold access, and the King’s Theatre is no exception. AT-PAC’s versatility enabled Peoples Safety to engineer bespoke solutions in the tightest corners of the building. External scaffolds wrap the theatre along Tarvit Street and around the front and rear façades. The 22-metre-high structure incorporates a fully boarded rubble chute and was adapted to allow site cabins to remain in place, an example of how the modular system can be shaped to suit site logistics. Internally, AT-PAC came into its own in the narrow Edwardian passageways. The compact components allowed the Peoples Safety team to erect lifting frames capable of guiding new steel stair sections through tight spaces with millimetre-level control. The system’s uniform geometry also ensured each configuration delivered the required stability, even in confined areas where tube and fitting would have been slower and more complex.
The system’s inherent levelness also removes the need for specialist inspectors to check every flight, saving considerable time. PERI UK provided full temporary works designs for the stair towers, transferring liability for structural stability from the contractor to the supplier.
For the ground floor, the team used the BECOSTOP permanent stop end system to segment the massive 20m x 20m concrete slab into manageable pours. The bespoke solution arrives on site ready-made, eliminating the labour-intensive cutting and propping required with traditional timber and ply methods.
“With our BECOSTOP system, erection is much quicker. Crucially, it’s left in position after the pour, unlike traditional methods where everything has to be removed,” said Kee.
William Griffith, project engineer at Careys, highlighted the safety advantages: “Due to the reinforcement detailing and the reinforcement projecting so far past the stop ends there was also a safety benefit in the use of BECOSTOP due to not having operatives getting beneath the projecting reinforcement and in some cases into the reinforcement cage to strike a typical stop end in this scenario.”
The structure, which extends from 6m below ground to 30m above, is now nearing structural completion. The concrete shell work for Careys lasted approximately 12 months.
The project demonstrates how modern, engineered systems can deliver measurable improvements in speed, safety and quality over conventional construction methods on complex industrial builds. 
Jatinder Sharma CBE DL, Principal and Chief Executive of Walsall College, said the partnership ensures the college keeps pace with modern scaffolding practice. “This collaboration will ensure our scaffolding training remains cutting-edge and relevant, promoting efficiency, versatility and safety.
By working with AT-PAC, employers and their teams will gain new skills and confidence, which will strengthen relationships with their customers and suppliers.”
The alliance marks the third year of sustained growth for Construction College Midlands.
In 2023 it opened a 
Councillor Leah Kirkpatrick, Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, said the academy has been shaped around local industry needs. “This innovative training academy offers a real opportunity for local people to gain the skills and confidence needed to enter the construction industry,” she said. She noted that employers across the area continue to face shortages in key roles, particularly in scaffolding.
For Alimak, the partnership adds further technical depth to its existing offer. The company already supplies a broad portfolio of hoists, mast climbers and transport platforms, backed by its connected management platform, My Alimak.
The system gives users real-time equipment diagnostics, asset tracking, BIM integration and safety tools to help maintain uptime across large fleets.
Cameron Reid, Sales Director at Alimak Group’s Construction Division, said the agreement formalises a long-standing relationship. “Alimak Group and CAS have a long history of working together,” he said.
“This agreement reflects our continued commitment to safe, efficient vertical access and outstanding customer service in high-rise construction.”
Both organisations say the partnership strengthens their ability to support large-scale projects, from towers to data centres, with a coordinated system that combines design expertise and global service capability.
