Wates Construction has been appointed as pre-construction stage partner on
the ambitious and ground-breaking redevelopment of the British Library site at
Boston Spa, West Yorkshire.
The 45-week PCSC (pre-construction services consultant) role will see Wates
working alongside the client’s design team up to RIBA Stage 4 with services
engineer, Buro Happold and London-based, architectural practice, Carmody
Groarke.
The scheme involves the construction of a new 28m high, 5274m2 ground-breaking,
fully automated net zero carbon archive building which will feature a public
viewing gallery and 220km of extra shelf space together with an extensive
renovation of the nearby 1970s Brutalist-style Urquhart Building for the
library’s 550 on-site staff, including a new reading room, restaurant and café
for visitors.
Sustainability will be an integral feature of this ambitious programme,
including the creation of new and improved green spaces to support biodiversity
and enhance the natural environment surrounding the site.
Working in close collaboration with its design team partners, Wates will
work with its supply chain to help develop the design and accurately cost the
project so that at the end of the 45-week period the final contract price can be
agreed.
During this early phase, the contractor will also use its tried and tested
approach to creating airtight buildings by constructing large-scale prototypes.
These will be used to test the design theories needed to fulfil the exacting
sustainability criteria – in the case of the new build, to achieve BREEAM
‘Outstanding’ and Passivhaus Accredited ratings, while the renovated Urquhart
Building has been designed to achieve BREEAM ‘Excellent’.
Phil Spence, Chief Operating
Officer, British Library, said: “This is a significant
milestone for our Boston Spa site, which will transform the accessibility of
our collections and services to people nationally. We look forward to working
with our design team to deliver vital facilities that will support the growth
of the national collection and open up access to a new generation of visitors.”
David Wingfield, Regional Director
North East, Wates Construction, said the company was delighted
with the appointment.
“We know from past projects that the most critical success factors when
constructing airtight buildings are genuine partnership and teamwork, for which
Wates Construction has a proven track record,” he continued. “This project will
set the standard for facilities of this type worldwide. Nothing like this
archive has been built in the UK before, where the environment is completely
airtight, and when complete, a fully automated racking and robotics system will
be used to retrieve documents.
“It is both a fascinating and challenging project to work on, requiring
cutting edge sustainable design solutions, and given its novel, world-beating
status, a highly-coveted role for any contractor to secure.”
In a second appointment, Wates Construction began a significant programme of
enabling works on the site in October, which also includes scoping surveys to
inform the design and prepare for the main works which are due to start on site
in May 2022.
Christine Lowry, Partner, Buro
Happold, said: “We’re delighted to be part of the Boston
Spa project working alongside Wates Construction, Carmody Groarke and the
British Library. The project will set a new standard for environmental
sustainability and energy efficiency, demonstrating how both building new and
revitalising the old will provide a sustainable future for the British
Library.”
The British Library aims to open its new spaces at Boston Spa by 2026.
