The Client
Our client for this project was a leading Midlands developer, who owns a varied range of properties across the region, with the Marchington Industrial Estate, the jewel in their crown.
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Case Study:
Staffordshire Industrial Park
Client:
- Industrial
- New Build
- Refurbishment
Completed:
2016
The Project
Align Architecture were appointed to undertake a feasibility appraisal to consider ways to re-invigorate this prominent industrial park in the heart of Staffordshire, through a combination of building new units and refurbishing other areas of the estate.
The industrial estate offers over 1.3 million ft2 of industrial, warehousing and workshop space in 34 buildings ranging from 300 ft2 (28 m2) to 100,000 ft2 (18,580 m2).
The makeup of the existing site was large areas of hardstanding and infill areas of green areas made up of grazed areas & groups of trees. The development site is bounded to the west by a large expanse of green open space with a planted belt beyond to the B5017.
The Work
Following a comprehensive site visit, we detailed the results of our appraisal, that:
- reviewed the available spaces to maximise flexibility in unit sizes to suit demand;
- proposed ways to create flexible floor plates to maximise the appeal and meet the needs of prospective tenants thought new build and refurbishment approaches;
- explored opportunities to improve the internal circulation within the estate.
The materials used across the wider site were relatively consistent in appearance, although a couple of the units had original cladding. The structural integrity of a number of the units appeared sound and refurbishment to match some of the newer units was a viable option.
The Outcome
Following our appraisal of the site and the proposed options to inject new life into this aging site, a new workshop facility with a 50-year design life was constructed, utilising a folding modular-type building system, consisting of prefabricated modules that include both sidewalls and the inter-connecting roof, which ensured fast erection times.
When specifying the building products for the new buildings, the design team were able to use materials and products with a low embodied energy where appropriate. Waste from the construction process was kept to a minimum, which makes both commercial and environmental sense.
Our appraisal work and the submitted planning application, recognised that the proposed development and refurbishment work, would significantly enhance the appearance and composition of the estate, ready to attract new tenants.
