Project overview
Procured on a two-stage basis, this project involved the construction of a three-story building for the Civil Engineering department at the West Cambridge campus.
The facility serves as a hub for research, testing, training, and collaborative activities, providing specialised workshops and laboratories for esteemed institutions such as the UK Collaboratorium for Research in Infrastructure & Cities (UKCRIC), the National Research Facility for Infrastructure Sensing, and the Civil Engineering department.
Developed with deconstruction in mind, the building comprises a basement, steel frame with precast concrete hollow-core flooring, a façade of rainscreen cladding and curtain walling with integrated external fins and a ‘blue/green roof’ with solar panels.
The ground floor raft provides an extremely flexible foundation solution and can support an additional structure. The upper floor’s 200mmm thick pre-cast pre-stressed hollow core concrete planks (spanning 7.2m) can be removed without compromising the overall structural stability, the steel frames can be retained.
The University wanted to retain the potential to add future terraced extensions, to form a series of similar buildings.
One of the project’s noteworthy achievements is its BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent,’ reflecting its commitment to high environmental standards and sustainable construction practices.
Project team
Adam Knaggs
Managing Director
Adam joined SDC in 1995 as a Site Engineer. His position as Managing Director involves contributing to the day-to-day running of the business, setting the strategy for projects, and supporting all departments. Adam’s active approach to problem solving has been a defining trait of his career, as recognised by the Institution of Civil Engineers who honoured him with their Site Engineer of the Year Award 1999, in which he was praised for designing his own shuttering system.
Andrew Shiner
Director
Andy joined SDC as a Site Agent and rose through the ranks to Project Director, before taking on his current role as Board Director in 2020. The experience he gained in all three professions will undoubtedly assist him in leading this scheme. On a previous project for NIAB in Cambridge, Andy’s team were responsible for SDC’s highest Considerate Constructors’ score to date (90 out of 100) and a Runner’s Up Prize at the CCS National Awards in 2019.
Andrew Mitchell
Director
Andrew is a senior member of staff who holds the role of Director/Company Secretary. He joined SDC in 1994, and had therefore been with the company for almost thirty years. He plays a key role in ensuring that board procedures are both followed and regularly reviewed. The Chairman and Board Directors will look to the Company Secretary for guidance as to what their responsibilities are under the rules and regulations to which they are subject, and on how these responsibilities should be discharged.
Francis Shiner
Chairman
Since joining the company in 1983, Francis has assumed various roles, from Chief Surveyor to managing Director, ultimately assuming the position of Chairman in 2021.
Dan Changer
Director
Dan studied Architecture at the University of Cambridge and worked as a chartered Architect before joining SDC in 2010. Joining as a Design Coordinator, Dan then opted to work as a Contracts Manager, receiving a promotion to Project Manager before his appointment to the Board of Directors in 2020. His duties and responsibilities include setting the overall strategy for the project, as well as leading the project team and ensuring the scheme is delivered within the client’s time, quality and budget constraints. Dan’s client-focused attitude and collaborative problem-solving approach will be crucial to the scheme’s successful delivery.
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