Project Aero was the construction of a new set for Coronation Street known as Victoria Court. The set is part of the fictional suburb Weatherfield and includes a tram stop, police station, Costa Coffee, a community garden and tattoo shop (Tattoo’ll Do Nicely). These businesses and areas of this set had been referred to in previous episodes by the characters but never shown, the expansion allowed for new filming opportunities and a chance to expand Coronation Streets world building.
Seddon used 7,000 reclaimed cobbles from the original Quay Street set to pave the new roads and laid over 200,000 bricks alongside 2,500 tonnes of cast stone, 6,500 tonnes of concrete and 350 tonnes of tarmac to create the new set. We worked closely with Brickfab to design the chimneys to top off the set, the client required they were prefabricated but looked solid and realistic. We were able to come up with a solution to ensure they fit on a steel frame and fit the look of the rest of the built set, Brickfab were ‘really pleased’ with the end result and the quick turn around our team were able to achieve.
The project had to be built to a strict programme to ensure the set was finished and ready to be filmed in. Due to the works being undertaken within a live environment the site team held daily meetings with ITV to review the daily filming schedules and to allow and plan for down time during construction as the crew would need complete silence during filming, the site team also had to use this schedule to plan deliveries to the site.
This would prove to be a challenge as ITV’s filming schedule could change at any moment, however with constant communication and a strict daily plan we could mitigate any risks and issues associated with last-minute programme changes.
When the set was finished it was officially unveiled to the public and the press by the cast and crew of Coronation Street. The unveiling generated wide interest and a large media following with interviews from the new set by television shows like Good Morning Britain, and multiple news outlets such as The Manchester Evening News and the BBC.
The set has brought the client new filming opportunities and the ability to progress new dynamic storylines.
ITV even produced its own video showcasing the set with a few of the actors from Coronation Street, which can be seen below.
