4 August 2011
Prologis has won the top Structural Steel Design Award 2011 for the Marks & Spencer distribution centre at Prologis Park Bradford. The 1.1 million sq ft facility is one of the largest warehouses to be built in the UK. Although the size of the building and the 12 week programme for the erection of the steel frame presented a number of challenges, the judges commented that steelwork is "outstandingly light and may well become a benchmark for such projects."
Construction work began in July 2009 and through a combination of design innovation and advanced fabrication technology together with detailed planning of both the steelwork production and erection stages, the frame was completed to schedule. As the judges for the Structural Steel Design Award said:
"The exterior conceals the sophistication of the engineering design, fabrication and erection for economy and speed. The extremely slender columns, at wide spacing, soar upwards to support a very light curved roof, avoiding valley drainage. Rooflights allow daylight to fill the cathedral-like space."
The facility, which is the first of Marks & Spencer's new regional distribution centres, was officially opened in July 2010 by the company's Chairman, Sir Stuart Rose.
Maurice Dalton, Senior Vice President of Construction & Procurement at Prologis, commented:
"This award is a tremendous achievement, particularly since this is the first time it has been won by an industrial building. The distribution centre has already achieved BREEAM 'Excellent' accreditation and an EPC 'A' (CO2 Index 25) rating, so we are delighted that the aesthetics and the innovative design and fabrication of the building have also been recognised."
The architect was Stephen George & Partners; the structural engineer was BWB Consulting; the steelwork contractor was Barrett Steel Buildings Ltd and the main contractor was Winvic Construction.
The Structural Steel Design Awards 2011 were sponsored by The British Constructional Steelwork Association and Tata Steel.
