When the Ministry of Defence (MOD) required three new accommodation buildings on the Remote Radar Heads in the Falklands to house their personnel, they needed solid, soundproof materials that could be shipped to the Falkland Islands.
Rexel UK held the military construction materials contract (OIP0212) for the supply of all building materials and were tasked with finding the right product for the project.
The £22m Project ANEMOI was no easy task, and Rexel began to make contact with industry to gain their individual expertise.
British Gypsum rose to the challenge by providing a host of materials and extensive training to educate the Military Construction Force on how to construct the accommodation blocks.
The project is one-of-a-kind and is the first time the military has taken on a full design and build project from start to finish outside a conflict zone. This allowed the team to work together to erect the accommodation blocks, where they would eat, sleep, prepare meals and live in for long periods of time.
SSgt Phill Bradley, Engineering Logistics Supervisor, said: “Our brief stated that all of the materials required for the accommodation blocks needed to be robust and durable, yet recyclable; this is when Rexel UK introduced us to British Gypsum’s products. Initially we were worried about the skill and labour that would be required to construct the accommodation blocks using its products, but British Gypsum showed us their Technical Training Academy in East Leake and the training that they could provide to our Military Construction Force personnel.
“British Gypsum was able to provide us with an intensive course covering everything from metalwork, boarding and window details in order for us to construct the accommodation blocks ourselves. The training course consisted of four three-day long training sessions and allowed the thirty personnel from the Military Construction Force to learn all of the necessary skills, such as using jointing material, constructing metal-framed partitions and creating ceilings.”
SSgt Phill Bradley continued: “We were originally going to use timber to build the partition walls within the accommodation blocks, however we recognised that this material wouldn’t suit the extreme climate, as the Falklands is just 500 miles short of Antarctica and the temperatures can drop significantly. We also realised that it would be hard to ship with it being so heavy. British Gypsum suggested that we use their lightweight metal stud partitions, which were easy to transport and cost-effective, as well as having dimensional stability and greater thermal and moisture tolerance than timber, so we knew that they would be a good fit.”
A wide variety of British Gypsum’s products have been used on the build, including its GypWall EXTREME system to build the internal walls - a highly impact-resistant partition for use where a more durable solution is required. The system utilises Gyproc Rigidur H and Gyproc SoundBloc boards to give enhanced levels of resistance to damage which typically occurs in areas prone to impacts.It’s also lightweight compared to masonry, so it was easier to transport for this long range project. Alongside this, Gyproc SoundBloc plasterboard, which has a high-density core for enhanced sound insulation performance, was installed in order to provide a quiet and peaceful environment for the personnel using the accommodation blocks.
James Byron, Project Specification Manager at British Gypsum, said: “Overall, the project was made possible thanks to the collaboration with CCF Peterborough, whom supplied and re-packaged the products. They worked hard to ensure that the products were not damaged during shipment and helped solve the problem of the large delivery pallets. Due to the pallets being too wide to fit inside the shipping containers stationed at Woodbridge barracks, CCF Peterborough redesigned them, along with our pallet supplier, Scotts pallets to allow for an end loading pallet that would fit within the container – great work.”
SSgt Phill Bradley concluded: “This project is truly unique and as it’s something we’ve never done before, we are delighted with how smoothly it’s all ran. The excellent training and products from British Gypsum has been a real help; we’re looking forward to all of the accommodation blocks being completed and for our men and women to settle in them.”