Centurion Park
Centurion Park is a brand new development of 11 high specification industrial, storage and distribution units in Colchester for Tungsten Properties. The development totals almost 360,000 square feet of space across 10 buildings, all with dedicated office space.
The strong market in Essex for industrial and logistics space required fast delivery of all 10 buildings consecutively. The on-site team averaged 133 operatives at any one time and as many as 50 lorries a day were needed for deliveries.
McLaren's £42 million contract included extensive infrastructure works. The team created a roundabout and access road, erected two new bus stops and installed power, gas, water and waste water services, all within the fixed programme.
Gas and high voltage cabling were brought to site along almost 6km of off-site trenches. A switching station was installed onsite for connection to existing overhead powerlines crossing the site. Power was upgraded to 5MVA during the construction phase.
Sustainable drainage with capacity for 5,200m3 of surface water - more than enough for two Olympic-sized swimming pools - was provided by a combination of underground tanks and an attenuation pond lined with 300mm of puddle clay. An additional 80,000 litre effluent tank serves an onsite sewage treatment plant.
The project targeted BREEAM Excellent and EPC A+ ratings on completion with buildings which were net zero carbon in construction and feature LED lighting in offices, 58 electric vehicle charging points and solar panels. McLaren reduced carbon emissions from construction by using biofuel - hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) - in its generators. Sourcing concrete and aggregates from a Colchester-based supplier reduced delivery journeys as well as supporting local business.
A foraging habitat was created onsite for skylarks as part of a landscaping strategy which included planting 129 trees.
The team found the time to raise over £6,500 for Acorn Village, which provides high quality care and accommodation to adults with learning disabilities in Manningtree. The financial donation was followed up with the table tennis and foosball tables that operatives had used in their breaks.