A series of three dedicated changing room blocks housing lockers and drying equipment for up-to 6000 site operatives
Addressing a requirement for increased site capacity, the fast-track modular construction created three new welfare buildings labelled “East”, “West”, and “North” including a secure bus terminal at the East building. Toilet and shower facilities are also incorporated, with the design and layout replicated across ground, first and second floors. Access is via dedicated external staircases with additional fire escapes installed to ensure safe egress for the building occupants.
The open-plan changing areas are equipped with heating and ventilation systems to maintain airflow and control humidity.
Carefully managed site setup, interface planning and proactive communication was imperative due to the varied logistical challenges faced at each of the three sites, with the individual success of each project owed to the versatility and agility shown by the project team.
The East project was situated within another tier 1 contractor’s platform where the construction of an adjacent road had to be considered at all times, particularly during lifting operations and material deliveries. All of the lifting operations were completed at night with the modules being lifted over the road, this allowed the construction of the road to be continued during the day, enabling both projects to be progressed, leading to simultaneous completion and opening of the secure bus terminal on the ground floor.
The West locker block was constructed in close proximity to an existing accommodation building, pedestrian routes and internal bus stops. Groundworks phases were completed with minimal disruption to site traffic. The 91 lifting operations took place at night once again, involving walkway and bus stop closures to maximise safety and control of risk.
The North locker building was installed directly on top of an existing modular canteen facility. Remedial works had to be carried out to both the existing foundations and structure to ensure complete stability and compatibility ahead of the installation. Orchestrating the assembly of each building involved a complex planning operation that considered weather conditions and other site activity. Every night of lifting was overseen by a lifting and safety teams alongside site management representatives.
Offsite construction
By utilising offsite prefabrication, major elements of construction process took place within a controlled manufacturing environment, providing enhanced safety and efficiency of labour. This method is critical when delivering projects within a complex and busy site such as Hinkley Point C, where security and safety restrictions can prohibit the viability of traditional construction methods. It also enabled the buildings to be completed quickly whilst being situated near to other amenities and saving critical space on site. Deliveries of the 182-shipping container sized units were carefully scheduled to arrive at the destination site with minimised disruption to local traffic, ready to be lifted into position before weather sealing and finishing works.
Completion of each building once in-situ incorporated internal connections, commissioning and testing and the installation of equipment to deliver a turnkey facility. The furniture for the first block alone took eight 40ft trailer loads to deliver to site and was installed over the course of 7 days.