20 October 2014
First Nuclear Analysis Laboratory to be Built Using Modular Construction is Handed Over at Dounreay
The first nuclear facility of its kind to be built using modular construction has been handed over and is now undergoing active commissioning at Dounreay in Scotland. The laboratory for the analysis of radioactive materials was constructed using a Yorkon off-site building solution from the Portakabin Group, and is one of the most complex and remote modular building projects ever undertaken in the UK.
The contract for the £9m building was awarded by site clean-up contractor, Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL), to a team led by off-site manufacturer and main contractor, the Portakabin Group.
The 1,300sqm building was manufactured off site at the Portakabin Group production centre in York and was craned into position in only four days to minimise disruption to operations at Dounreay. It provides six laboratories to allow DSRL to comply with its statutory and environmental monitoring requirements until the Dounreay site is closed. The scheme will remain in use for up to 25 years until the site decommissioning process has been completed. It will then be deconstructed - the building modules are inherently easy to disassemble, recycle and re-use elsewhere, making the approach highly sustainable.
The scheme accommodates 36 fume cupboards, glove boxes and a specialised nuclear ventilation system with heavier, more complex ductwork compared to other applications of modular construction. It also incorporates acid and non-acid fume extraction, HEPA filtration, and a discharge stack, and each laboratory has one-hour fire containment to the entire building fabric - a first for the modular industry.
Commenting on the project, Maryrose Bailey, Senior Project Manager at Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd, said, "The Yorkon solution is very good and has resulted in a really excellent facility. We are impressed with the finished building which feels spacious and solid and benefits from outstanding thermal insulation. You would definitely never know it was built in a factory. We are looking forward to having the facility fully operational after the active commissioning phase."
Simon Ambler, Director of the Portakabin Group, added, "This was one of the most complex and remote projects that we have undertaken in recent years, and we are pleased to have received such positive feedback about the quality of the building. It successfully demonstrates the huge potential of off-site construction for similar highly specialised industrial facilities."
The Dounreay scheme has been designed in full compliance with stringent nuclear industry requirements and regulations for ionising radiation and to withstand the rigours of a highly exposed marine environment. Its facilities include the laboratories, offices, drench showers and boot barrier in the active area, with ancillary accommodation for offices and locker rooms in the clean area.
Yorkon off-site building solutions give building designers, contractors and occupiers the benefit of thousands of configurations and permutations to meet almost any design brief, site and building footprint. The approach is also highly sustainable because it reduces the number of vehicle movements and work on site, and there are fewer internal columns to facilitate space planning and any future reconfiguration to meet changing requirements.
For further information about Yorkon off-site building solutions in the nuclear sector, call 0845 2000 123, email contact@yorkon.co.uk or visit www.yorkon.info.
Editor's Notes
1. The benefits of a Yorkon off-site construction solution for the nuclear industry include:
- Programme times reduced by up to 50 per cent, allowing earlier completion and occupation
- Reduced disruption to existing nuclear site or decommissioning operations during construction
- A robust building system which can withstand the rigours of the most demanding external environments, such as wind loadings and exposed coastal locations
- Material wastage reduced by up to 90 per cent (source: WRAP)
- Up to 90 per cent fewer vehicle movements to site
- Improved quality and reduced future maintenance
- Ease of deconstruction for recycling when a building reaches the end of its life
- Enhanced thermal efficiency and air tightness for improved building performance
- Greater cost control.
2. Yorkon and the Portakabin Group are registered trademarks. Portakabin is a registered trademark which must only be used to refer to modular buildings that are known to have been manufactured by the Portakabin Group. Please note, Portakabin is not a generic term.
