Construction frameworks
Morgan Sindall Construction completes work on four National Highway depots
SCAPE Construction delivery partner, Morgan Sindall Construction, has completed a £20.7m scheme for National Highways, creating sustainable, multi-purpose spaces to encourage better collaboration between teams in less than a year.
Creating a sustainable workplace
The mixture of new-build and refurbished buildings will bring together National Highways’ staff, traffic officers, contractors and partners, such as Colas and the Central Motorway Police Group, in a more sustainable, environmentally-friendly workplace.
Procured through our Construction framework, the project involved the construction of new two-storey office buildings at Bescot (Walsall) and Doxey (Stafford).
Additionally, two existing Warndon and Strensham depots in Worcestershire were refurbished, including installing a new garage and a replacement salt barn at the Strensham site.
Efficient, effective construction
Accelerated through our direct award framework, the depots were delivered in just 10 months, and have a safer, more modern feel, as well as a smaller carbon footprint.
With sustainability at the heart of National Highways’ planning process, our delivery partner Morgan Sindall incorporated a number of carbon-reducing technologies into the buildings. These included air source heat pumps, PV panels and LED energy-efficient lighting, which all contribute towards a lower carbon footprint and more efficient operating costs.
The project team also promoted sustainable practices throughout each phase of the project. For example, aggregate produced at the Bescot site during the demolition of the original building was crushed and recycled, rather than being sent to landfill, and excess construction materials and offcuts were donated to Walsall College.
The work that the National Highways team carries out is absolutely pivotal to the functional operation of the country and so it's been a great privilege to work alongside them to provide these state-of-the-art, sustainable depots. What stands out from this project is the alignment in values between ourselves and National Highways.
Richard Fielding
Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction in the Midlands
Richard Fielding, continued:
"We were given the impetus to utilise our Intelligent Solutions approach to really home in on creating environmentally-friendly facilities and generate carbon savings. Similarly, we're pleased to have used three-quarters of our spend locally."
Local social value
During delivery, Morgan Sindall was tasked with achieving numerous key performance targets to help ensure the local area benefitted from the works.
In total, 96.7% of the project spend was driven towards SMEs, with 72% of the project budget spent locally. The project also achieved a social value return of 39%, with more than £8.1m being reinvested into the local community.
Through Morgan Sindall’s commitment to providing social value, they were able to offer 173 volunteer hours, alongside donations to a number of local community initiatives, totalling £6.7k. As Morgan Sindall looks to inspire the next generation of construction, the team also facilitated 229 apprenticeship weeks.
The work we do at National Highways - operating, maintaining, and improving our roads - is carried out at our depots, control rooms and outstations, not in city centre offices. So, it’s paramount that we give people working in those buildings a great place to work, near the road network, where they can plan and carry out their roles.
Nick Harris
Chief Executive, National Highways
Nick Harris, continued:
"These new depots, which are making the best use of modern techniques and technology to support our staff and the environment, are bringing together people who used to work in different places so they can work as one team. We are also very considerate of our neighbours and the communities around our offices and our roads, so we tried hard to source as many contractors and suppliers that built the depots from the local area. Three out of every four pounds spent on a depot went to businesses within a 30-mile radius."
Modern Methods of Construction
With Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) in mind, Morgan Sindall worked with bulk storage buildings supplier, Eurodome, to facilitate a salt barn at Strensham that was constructed off-site, using modular technologies. The alternative modular lightweight structure not only offered significant carbon saving through a reduction in materials and rationalised design, but also in lower emissions from transportation.
This project is a fantastic example of creating operational efficiency and improving the working environment for National Highways’ staff, while maximising the green credentials of a building. Using low carbon technologies has reduced the embodied carbon of the building itself and will ensure the emissions from its operation remain low throughout its lifetime. Through careful re-use of materials on site and community engagement activities, Morgan Sindall has created a truly sustainable legacy that will be felt far beyond the bricks and mortar of the new depots.
Mark Robinson
Group Chief Executive, SCAPE
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