01 February 2011
Yorkon Builds UK's Largest Modular Supermarket - an Eco-store for Tesco
Award-winning off-site specialist, Yorkon, has completed the UK's largest retail project to be built using modular construction - a new eco-store for Tesco at Southam in Warwickshire.
Working closely with main contractors RG Carter, the Yorkon off-site approach reduced the build programme to increase the number of trading weeks by eight to the benefit of Tesco and its customers. The architects for the project were the Saunders Partnership.
The scheme is the first application of a new modular store design, which provides 20,000sqft of retail space, and has uninterrupted spans for the sales areas of 28m, which are unprecedented in the modular industry. This was achieved by reducing internal columns by 50 per cent.
In order to meet the deadline for the store opening, 24-hour factory shifts were employed at the Yorkon production centre in York to manufacture and partially fit out the 70 steel-framed store modules, and the cranage phase included both weekend and night working.
To view a video of the new store and its construction, see www.yorkon.info/tescosoutham.
Commenting on the project, Lorraine O'Sullivan, Development Manager at Tesco, said, "From a customer experience perspective, you cannot tell this is a modular building. The over-cladding has been very effective and customers have been very complimentary about the new store."
"Off-site construction allows more work to be carried out in a manufacturing environment, improving both quality and the speed of construction on site. This enables Tesco to be faster to market and to open the doors of a new store to our customers more quickly."
As an eco-store, the new Southam scheme has a number of sustainability features to reduce its carbon footprint, including:
- Roof-mounted photovoltaic panels to generate electricity
- A high level of glazing to one elevation for natural light
- Sun pipes to the offices and toilets
- Rainwater harvesting
- A lobby area to the main entrance with sliding doors to reduce heat loss
- Timber cladding from sustainable sources
- Mixed mode ventilation
- Air scoops for additional ventilation.
The store design also includes back-of-house, staff facilities and office accommodation on the first floor, and has concrete floors with terrazzo tiling.
Yorkon has worked with Tesco for the past 10 years, delivering around 200 projects, including more than 170 Express convenience and petrol filling station stores in the UK and Ireland, and is the market leader in off-site construction solutions for the retail sector.
Yorkon is part of the Portakabin Group.
Editor's Notes
The advantages of off-site construction for retail projects include:
- Programme times reduced by up to 50 per cent, allowing earlier completion
- Enhanced sustainability, with up to 90 per cent fewer vehicle movements to site, and improved thermal efficiency for reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions
- Safer, quieter and cleaner construction
- Reduced disruption to the local community and to customers' shopping experience during construction
- Improved quality and reduced future maintenance
- A high level of design flexibility, both internally and externally
- Traditionally-constructed supermarkets can be expanded without decanting
- Greater cost control
- Material wastage reduced by up to 90 per cent
- Delivery on time and on budget - Yorkon completed 99 per cent of projects on time and on budget in the past year.
