The Challenge:
The University of Essex STEM Centre would be positioned at the bottom of a valley surrounded by buildings built between the early 1960’s & early 1990’s. This presented a series of logistical challenges for the delivery team. The new building was also to be built against a 1960’s five storey concrete framed building, raised walkway bridge and concrete podium, and the podium needed to be part demolished to make room for the new construction.
Further to this the new building was going to be built into a 13m high slope and full unrestricted access was to be maintained to the main spine road which runs under the university and the podium with over 120 traffic movements every day. Main material access for the site was via a podium recess with an opening of 6m x 5m and a side access to the site which gave just enough room to reverse a lorry to allow loads to be picked up via a tower crane from the two locations.
The Solution:
Due to the nature of the landscape a number of pre-construction works needed to take place before building works could begin. To enable the reduced level digging to commence, sheet piles were driven into the landscape to provide support to the slope above, these were then used as permanent back shutters for the reinforced concrete basement walls and to provide final support for the existing slope. In addition, CFA piles, 600mm in diameter, were driven 20m into the ground to take the loading of the new concrete framed building.
Once the building was nearing its completion, the previously demolished section of podium that was left, was filled in with steelwork, tray decking infilled with concrete to join the new building to the old podium and form the new main entrance. Internally break throughs were further created to join the new building to the old at three separate floor levels to provide better disabled access to the upper podium levels of the campus.
The Impact:
Trying to build a new concrete framed building within a very restricted area whilst in a live environment was challenging. The buildings surrounding the site housed laboratories where many experiments were carried out. Careful liaison had to be undertaken to help them programme their more sensitive experiments around the main construction, especially in Brain Science where noise and vibration were an issue for them. In addition to managing all the daily traffic movements of the university, we also had to incorporate the sites vehicle movements into this whilst trying to minimise disruption.
An extremely challenging project right the way from the off with design, logistics and programme issues but incredibly satisfying to see what the team produced as a final product.
" Early Design Management in consultation with the client was excellent and most likely enabled the projects progress from a difficult pre-construction period, and ongoing accommodation of the University of Essex’s logistics requests have been extremely appreciated by the Client. "Steve Wetherall Senior Project Manager Arcadis
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Every project we deliver is an opportunity for us to bring our unique thinking to solve problems, innovate and collaborate with our clients and beyond.
Berkeley Green & UTC South Gloucestershire & Stroud College (SGS)
Rising from the ashes of a decommissioned former nuclear site, SGS Berkeley Green, a converted 1940’s engineering hall, and new University Technical College (UTC) are the first educational buildings to be completed on a new ground-breaking GREEN campus, within Gloucestershire Science and Technology Park.
Butlin’s Splash, Bognor Regis
Building a £40m state of the art swimming pool and leisure complex within the existing Butlin’s resort in Bognor Regis, West Sussex.
Wexham Park Hospital Emergency Department and Assessment Centre
The design and build of a £36m emergency department and assessment centre, creating one of the most innovative care units in the NHS.
Project Maia - Infineum
Delivery of a 33,500ft2 Global Centre of Innovation at Infineum’s headquarters in Abingdon; featuring new petrochemical laboratories for research and development into new formulas for fuel additives; collaborative meeting spaces, office accommodation, a new staff restaurant and improved site infrastructure.
Gatwick Airport Overall Works
We have delivered over £50m of works at London Gatwick Airport, working closely with key stakeholders to deliver a multi-storey car park, out of gauge (OOG) baggage, airline moves and upgrades of security facilities.
St Julie’s Catholic High School
Building a new school for 1,100 students within the grounds of the original. Abiding by strict environmental regulations and generating a wealth of social value within the local community.
Astrea Academy Sheffield - Secondary School
Construction of a secondary school to create much-needed school places in north east Sheffield
Cheltenham Ladies College, Fitness Centre
The addition of high-class sport and leisure facilities for one of the UK’s most distinguished private schools has created flexible, multi-purpose spaces wrapped around the existing centre. Alongside a new sports hall, activity studios, squash courts and a gym, are additional changing rooms, a MUGA and new car park.
Astrea Academy Sheffield - Primary School
Restoring a listed local landmark to its former glory to create a brand-new school for North East Sheffield.
Stephen Perse Foundation
The design and construction of a new teaching block and first-class sports facilities.
St Mary’s RC Primary School, Malton
Constructing a new annexe as well as a reconfiguration of the existing school in order to ease pressures on pupil oversubscription.
Reigate Grange Care Home
Creating a three-story luxury care home with a range of amenities and landscaped gardens.
Dixons Sixth Form
Refurbishment and fit-out of a six-storey 19th-century mill building and coach house with a new build sports hall in Bradford for Dixons Academies Trust, maintaining the building’s heritage and ensuring it is suitable for teaching.
Chemistry of Health, University of Cambridge
Providing space for the study of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Bicester Eco Business Centre
The design and construction of a highly sustainable Passivhaus ‘Plus’ 1,400m2 office building. Laid out over three floors to accommodate up to 125 people, providing local office space for individuals and small businesses.
Aspect Court Refurbishment
£1m refurbishment of levels five and six of Sheffield Hallam University’s Aspect Court building to create space for degree apprenticeship students and an innovation hub
Reading Gateway
Identifying this 20.5 acre site in Reading as a strategic development opportunity, delivering a retail and leisure scheme including new homes, a hotel, retail space, car showrooms and industrial units, trailing new innovations and generating 263 jobs and £138m of social value.
Brighton Mainline: Building Resilience
Supporting the power requirement for ongoing Brighton Main Line signalling renewal works. We installed a Westplex System in order to upgrade a key commuter line to increase the quantity of trains able to utilise the line.
The Springfield Sixth Form Centre, Dewsbury Learning Quarter
Construction of the Springfield Sixth Form Centre, beginning the development of the Dewsbury Learning Quarter for Kirklees College
The David Attenborough Building
Updating an icon, providing pride of place for Charles Darwin’s finds, creating a prominent spot for a fully-fledged Finback whale, and being test abseiled by Sir David Attenborough.
Stowlawn Primary School
Procured through the Scape National Minor Works Framework, this scheme involved the construction of a new primary school provision at the existing Stowlawn Primary School in Bilston, Wolverhampton. Unique to this project was the building’s existing Passivhaus principals and bespoke brickwork façade.
The Ogilvie Building
The Ogilvie (formerly known as the Sanger Sequencing Building) provides 4,430m² of flexible laboratory and office space and an integrated energy centre which will feed future developments on the greenfield site.
Surrey Street Market
Regenerating Britain's oldest market in 10 weeks, collaborating with a wide range of supply chain partners, engaging with the local residents, businesses and traders and bringing a delicate touch to a much loved historical site.
The Sainsbury Laboratory
This major research laboratory reconciles precise scientific requirements with a sensitive approach to its historic site.
Spring Vale Primary School
Procured through the Scape National Minor Works Framework, this extension and remodelling project has increased the School’s capacity whilst improving their Ofsted rating from ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding’.
University of Essex STEM Centre
Creating a state of the art teaching centre for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
S-Skills for Highways
Partnering Surrey County Council with an innovative scheme that brings vulnerable people in social care into the workplace, supporting these candidates to be able to carry out basic highway works in the community and helping tackle the national social care time bomb.
Waterside Student Residences
A joint venture with Kier Major Projects for the University of Northampton. The project marked the first time Kier had committed to a large-scale Light Gauge Steel (LGS) frame project and is the largest LGS project to date in the UK.
London Southend Airport Terminal Extension
Designing and building a terminal extension to quadruple passenger capacity, whilst achieving excellent sustainability certification.
Sensor City
Creating a ‘Knowledge Quarter’ for Liverpool, a collaboration between the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University, delivering a highly adaptable research environment and incubator space for start-ups and SMEs who are developing digital sensor technologies and applications.
Sainsbury Wellcome Centre
A unique, world-class, state of the art neuroscience research institute at University College London.
Slade Green Regeneration
The simultaneous extension and refurbishment of two neighbouring primary schools.
Yr Egin Media and Office Development
Bringing an iconic and sustainable development to the Carmarthen campus of the University of Wales, providing 40,000 sq. ft. of accommodation for for Welsh Media company S4C and the University's new media faculty and offices, and achieving a BREEAM Excellent certificate for sustainability.
Falmouth School Sports Pavilion
The design and construction of a sports pavilion, including FA compliant changing facilities, gym, office space and flexible recreation areas. In addition a first floor balcony was incorporated into the design which overlooks the sports pitches.
Cathedral School
Creating a two-form entry primary school within a Grade 1 listed building.
Reading 10 Car Feeders and ETE
Creating additional capacity on trains from Reading to London Suburbs by delivering 10-car feeders.
Camberley Town Centre
Create a mixed-use regeneration scheme on this strategic site.
Wexham Park Women's Services
The redevelopment of Wexham Park Hospital Women’s Services consisted of the remodelling of the Maternity and Gynaecology Facilities. This forming brand new, state of the art facilities for Slough and the surrounding areas.
Project Horizon
Working with Surrey County Council and the supply chain to deliver £120m of work for £100m on the fourth busiest road network in the UK, dramatically improving the condition of the roads in the county, driving down the cost of materials and increasing investment in new techniques and equipment.
Harris Girls' Academy Bromley
The demolition, refurbishment and three-story new build of a local all-girls school located in South London.
Oakwood High School
New build secondary school developed under the Education Skills and Funding Agency's (ESFA) Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP), providing modern accommodation with increased pupil capacity and facilities for classrooms, in addition to a Learning Resource Centre which integrates with pupil breakout areas.
National Transport Design Centre
The UK – and Coventry as a city - is well-established as a leader in automotive, aerospace, rail and marine design. Coventry University’s National Transport Design Centre (NTDC) aims to boost design innovation in the transport sector and bridge the current shortfall in creative skills.
Materials Analysis Laboratory
New head office and analytical laboratory for metallurgical consultants.
Jaguar Land Rover Car Showroom
Constructing a high specification Jaguar Land Rover car showroom for high-end tenant Jardine Motors, ensuring high quality design and build standards.
Harlow Rugby Club partnership
Unlocking new homes through partnership working in Harlow.
ED1SON Capital Delivery Alliance
A step change in the way DNO capital works and connections are delivered. Together with UK Power Networks and our Alliance partners, we deliver the improvements necessary to achieve OFGEM-mandated outputs in Customer Service, Safety, Sustainability and Network Health and Reliability.
Don Valley Academy
New build secondary school developed under the ESFA’s Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP), providing modern accommodation with increased pupil capacity for 1,200 pupils and 300 post-16 students.
Cancer Centre of Immunology
Designing and building the UK’s first dedicated centre for cancer immunology research to bring together world-leading cancer scientists and enable interdisciplinary teams to expand clinical trials and develop more lifesaving drugs.
Caol Joint Primary School Campus
Designing and constructing of a new joint campus school for The Highland Council to incorporate two neighbouring primary schools, Caol Primary School and St Columba's RC Primary School, together with a community facility.
Huntington Community Primary School
Blending traditional and innovative solutions to create a new-build, two-storey, 420-place primary school and 26-place nursery in Chester.
The Grove School
Undertaking a major refurbishment of a former Council building, originally a late Edwardian school, into a new school in Haringey, for 104 students aged 5–19 who have a primary diagnosis of autism.
Balcombe Signalling
Upgrading a key commuter line to increase the quantity of trains able to utilise the line.
Tiger Way
Kier Design and Business Services working in partnership with the London Borough of Hackney to deliver mixed-use developments and education schemes to create revenue for further local investment.
Baker Barracks
Constructing and refurbishing critical MoD accommodation and infrastructure, whilst creating value for the armed forces community through CSR.
Aureus Secondary School
Delivering a new secondary school on the Great Western Park Development in Didcot, ensuring it was completed in time for the start of the new school year, creating extensive outdoor sports facilities as well as a building for 1,200 students and working alongside contractors delivering housing projects.
Sheffield Hallam University Robert Winston Annexe
£1.4m installation of a modular, two-storey extension onto Sheffield Hallam University’s Robert Winston Building, located on SHU’s Collegiate Campus.
The Chase SEN
Converting and regenerating a disused engineering building at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College to create striking new modern facilities for disabled students.
Alperton Community School
The build of a new school and demolition works of the old premises, increasing capacity from 750 to 1700 pupils.
Abcam new headquarters
A new global headquarters for life sciences giant, Abcam, at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. This stunning building brings the Abcam team together all under one roof, which will improve efficiency and better serve researchers in accelerating innovation and discovery in the life sciences sector.
Degree Apprenticeship Centre
Revolutionary in its design, the first Degree Apprenticeship Centre on the Warwick University Campus marks a new stage in the University’s teaching programme. The new three-storey 2,400m² innovative development centre provides a bridge from education to industry.
Bartholomew School
Enhancing the estate of an already ‘outstanding’ Ofsted school to provide up-to-date facilities, fit for 21st-century learning.
Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls
Building a brand new 8 form of entry school situated in Thamesmead in South East London. The new school holds 1,200 pupils and includes teaching spaces, science laboratories, ICT suites, a dance studio, art and music rooms plus a large four court sports hall and hard court play area.
The Institute for Innovative Materials, Processing and Numerical Technologies (IMPACT)
New state-of-the-art research centre, the Innovative Materials, Processing and Numerical Technologies (IMPACT) building, situated on the Swansea University Bay Campus provides future proof, highly specialised laboratories for fundamental and applied research and delivers a high impact, transformative research environment for industry and academia to collaborate in advanced engineering and materials.
Delivering and adapting industrial units for SEGRO
We have delivered over £200m of works for SEGRO, across 33 projects over the last fourteen years. Working collaboratively with SEGRO and its tenants, we have a successful track record and flexible approach in delivering and adapting industrial units to tenants’ needs.
Hawthorne Primary and Nursery School
A modern primary school in Bestwood, Nottinghamshire, for an expanding local community that involved pupils throughout the build delivered through the Scape Minor Works Framework by Kier and Arc Partnership
Swansea IQ and YFforwm Development (SA1)
Delivering £32m first phase of new Swansea Waterfront Innovation Quarter to provide a 21st-century state of the art education facility to attract students from all over the world to the University of Wales Trinity St David.
‘The Biosphere’ Helix Development
Design and construction of a new 7,200m2 laboratory facility. The building consists of a mixture of biology and chemistry spaces, office spaces, unfitted spaces and associated external infrastructure works. The facility has two floors of containment level 2 fitted labs and write-up areas, together with shared wash-up facilities.
Piries Place Car Park
New carpark, with iconic 14.5m living wall, provides much-needed, modern spacious multi-level parking facilities, completing the regeneration of Piries Place, an historic area of Horsham in West Sussex. Delivered through the Scape National Minor Works framework, the new car park, provides 189 additional spaces.
Springhead Park Primary School
Springhead Park Primary School is a brand new modular two-form of entry with additional 26 nursery spaces in Ebbsfleet, Kent. The new schools holds 420 pupils ages from 3 – 11. The building includes teaching space, food tech facilities, science laboratories, multi-use agency space and hard court play area.
Gosport Borough Council - responsive repairs and planned maintenance
Delivering responsive repairs and planned maintenance to 3200 homes in Gosport as well as specialist works including gas systems, electrical works and major disabled adaptations. Every year we deliver over 12,000 repairs and take approximately 17,000 calls.
Northstowe Secondary College
Delivering a 600 place Secondary School with 12 form of entry core facilities, as well as a 110 place SEN School and Energy Centre for Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust (CMAT) on behalf of Cambridgeshire County Council.
Alness Academy – virtual transition model
With Covid-19 restrictions preventing in person site visits, our virtual transition model supports pupils and teachers to familiarise themselves with their new building and access useful information to support their transition and adjustment to the new school environment.
Leaving a lasting legacy: Croesyceiliog Comprehensive School
Construction of a new £30m building for Croesyceiliog Comprehensive School, providing 1,200 school places and ensuring social value was delivered throughout the project.