New Co-operative headquarters benefits from off-site manufacture
A major contribution to the provision of services for the Co-operative’s new £100 million 46 500 m2 headquarters in Manchester is being made by risers made off site by Pipe Center’s Modular Engineering business for contractor Rotary North West. The building is due for completion in Summer 2012 and will have a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating. It will bring together 12 Co-operative businesses occupying eight separate buildings.
Keith Fisher, project director for Rotary North West, says, ‘The offsite approach contributes to the outstanding sustainable credentials of the building. It cuts carbon, reduces waste, minimises pollution and congestion and significantly cuts the risk of accidents on site.
‘While it required more time upfront in terms of the design to ensure accuracy, it saves substantial time on site — taking only 15 to 20% of the time normally associated with tradition onsite installation.’
The new building is in the heart of Manchester, and access is restricted. Building risers off site overcomes the need to store materials and components on site. The key to off-site manufacture is sequencing completion and delivery of off-site structures to coincide with the installation window.
Each module covers one storey of the 15-storey building, with several hundred required in all.
The piped services include chilled water, hot water for heating, and domestic hot and cold water. There are also electrical-containment systems.
Keith Fisher says, ‘The key to delivering a successful offsite solution is accurate, timely sharing of information. it is vital to ensure the fabricator has the information required to take account of all issues in the design and that any problems are ironed out in advance.
‘It requires regular, detailed meetings and a clear sign-off process. As a result of this close collaboration we have developed an excellent working relationship with the Pipe Center Modular Engineering team’
Bob Hughes, who heads up Pipe Center’s Modular Engineering, says, ‘The Co-operative headquarters project is an outstanding example of how the off-site approach can be harnessed. It supports and contributes to the exceptional sustainability credentials of the building — with benefits for the client, contractor and the environment.’
