One of the leading architectural practices in the UK, Stephen George + Partners has won the contract to build the new Metro Maintenance and Renewals Skills Centre that will be located in South Shields. The Architectural firm will be carrying out this project for client, Nexus and the work has been valued at £8 million. This is a vital regeneration project that aims to bring new skills and employment into the region.
The design that has been submitted by Stephen George + Partners, or SGP portrays a single three storey building that will feature a training centre and light maintenance facility. It has been said that in terms of the architecture of the proposed building, the design will help to unify the development as the training centre will wrapped around the light maintenance area. Other comments on the design have also included that by vertically stacking the accommodation the reception and the break out areas can overlook the main entrance and helped to keep the classroom, meeting and engineering activities separated over different floors.
SGP worked with the contractor Galliford Try Infrastructure in order to develop the 33,500 sq. ft. single building option that could be constructed while meeting the client’s operational requirements and budget. This single building design has created a range of efficiencies for the design and has then therefore optimised the requirements for the foundations, structure, stairs, lifts and site clearance. In terms of meeting the operational requirements of the Nexus, the management of a single building as opposed to two offers operational cost savings.
The creation of the new Metro Maintenance and Renewals Skills Centre is a flagship construction for the region and also an innovative project for SGP’s developing Transport Sector Portfolio. The existing maintenance is currently carried out in a different region, therefore, with the creation of a new training centre will allow for the skilled work that is engendered by this significant investment to be produced and allow the Metro network to move back into the area.
