LOCATION:
An £11.4m design and build contract for the construction of industrial buildings over 34,000m2 in an operational dock environment.
The cleared site area ready for piling works to begin.
Progress at ten months in.
Constructed over 15 months the building elements comprised:
- 11,440m2 manufacturing & storage facility
- 1,501m2 bulk material storage facility
- 899m2 calcification plant shed
- 760m2 canopy & hard standing
- 622m2 offices
- Site preparation including more than 1,300 precast driven piles, ground beams, reinforcement and concrete pours, drainage interceptors, surface water drainage of 600mm diameter twinwall pipe and associated manholes.
- Steelwork frames comprising over 1,340 fabricated hot-rolled members, totalling 540 tonnes of material plus 90 tonnes of Metsec cold-rolled material.
- External cladding, services, drainage, road construction, curtain walling, roller shutter and personnel doors.
- Landscaping and fencing.
- Internal floor slabs, partition walls and electrical and mechanical fit out.
- Surfacing, fencing, lighting and planting. Flooring, painting, second fix M&E and road markings.
Challenges
Development of the detailed design allowing the international end user to assess different options.
Protecting the adjacent SSSI.
Solutions
We worked collaboratively with ABP and the end user to develop the detailed design. We held regular online progress meetings and provided budgets for potential requirements, allowing them to assess different options before proceeding with changes to the design.
We reused 5,500T of surplus material from our adjacent 22 Shed site. This was tested under CL:AIRE protocols to ensure suitability and we sought approval from Natural Resources Wales and Newport City Council prior to its transfer.
We used 60,000T of recycled aggregates.
We engaged with Thompson Ecology to monitor the works and ensure appropriate environmental protection methods were in place.
“Working with Knights Brown … has been a highly collaborative and rewarding experience. It has resulted in delivery of a first class end product that both we and our customer, are delighted with.
The facility, the largest of its type in south Wales, has been built with openness, trust and a genuine team effort that has enabled the day-to-day challenges to be overcome smoothly through dialogue and cooperation.
It is apparent that Knights Brown is as proud of this project as we are. Having a shared vision, common values and mutual respect has made working with the team a genuine pleasure.”
Mark Elliott
Divisional Project Manager Wales & South West Ports, Associated British Ports
Outcome
The new facility is to store gypsum delivered to site by ship, before being manufactured into plasterboard, eliminating the transport of raw materials from the port to an inland factory by road.
It is a demonstration of flexible, port centric manufacturing and distribution solutions for ABP’s customers that minimise costs and carbon emissions.
The factory benefits from green power generated by ABP’s on-site renewables, including wind and solar sources.
A key objective for ABP is to appoint suppliers and subcontractors based in Wales.
Of the total contract value £8m was spent with Welsh companies (73%) and 48 of 50 subcontractors are Wales-based.
We provided monthly reports to ABP detailing our supply chain spend. Our entire design team was also based locally.
