22 April 2014
Contract Award for a Yorkon Off-Site Solution at the University Of Warwick
The Yorkon solution from the Portakabin Group has been selected for a state-of-the-art research facility for the new International Institute for Nanocomposite Manufacturing at WMG at the University of Warwick.
The new Institute, the first of its kind in the world, will develop innovative manufacturing technologies to enable industry to make large scale nanocomposite parts for products in sectors such as telecommunications, electronics, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, automotive, security and medicine.
The use of a Yorkon off-site solution for the Institute's high tech research facility will radically reduce the programme time for the project to just four months, which is several months shorter than originally envisaged.
Designed by Cullinan Studio, the two-storey £2.3m scheme will house advanced R&D facilities, including laboratories, a processing hall, offices and open plan research space. A team of 50 researchers will work from the building on research projects with other academic groups and partners from industry, both in the UK and internationally.
Due for completion late spring 2014, the building was manufactured off site at the Portakabin Group's production centre in York and craned into position as 28 steel-framed modules. Internal rooms include laboratories with factory-installed high-performance concrete floors and full height UPVC hygienic wall linings. The nine-metre-high central processing hall has an in situ poured concrete floor to support specialist equipment, together with a feature monopitch roof construction. The scheme will have secondary perforated cladding to enhance the contemporary appearance. External landscaping and car parking will also be provided.
Commenting on the choice of Yorkon, the University of Warwick's Senior Project Manager Steve Walker said, "We chose off-site construction because we had a very tight timescale and needed to fast-track the project for the new Institute. We are very pleased with the team's progress so far and just how cost effective it is proving to be. The new facility will provide accommodation for existing academic staff and allow space for the rapidly expanding research group to continue to grow."
The Portakabin Group's Yorkon solution utilises the widest range of module options and sizes currently available from any off-site manufacturer in the UK, giving building designers, contractors and occupiers the benefit of thousands of configurations and permutations for the ultimate in design flexibility and to meet almost any building footprint.
For further information about Yorkon off-site building solutions, call 0845 2000 123, email contact@yorkon.co.uk or see www.yorkon.info/newsystem.
Editor's Notes
1. The benefits of a Yorkon off-site construction solution include:
- Columns that are no longer visible either internally or externally, for a seamless façade that can be specified with or without cladding.
- The facility to fit almost any building footprint, including those designed for site-based construction - reducing architects' design time and resources.
- Module lengths from 6m to 18.75m that give even greater design and space planning flexibility and the option of using larger but fewer modules to reduce cranage, transport costs and site works, which is much more efficient.
- Two module width options of 3m and 3.75m; three height options for single-storey buildings, and seven different heights for ground and intermediate floors on multi-storey schemes to facilitate linking to existing traditionally-constructed buildings.
2. Yorkon and the Portakabin Group are registered trademarks.
3. 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.
