York PSU2
In December 2018, VolkerSite Services was awarded a contract by the REAL Alliance, comprising of Network Rail, VolkerRail, Siemens Mobility, Jacobs, Systra and Murphys.
The contract included the design, manufacture, supply and installation of a two-storey modular temporary building at the ‘Tear Drop’ site for the York Power Supply Upgrade (PSU) programme of works. The accommodation build project was supported by the wider Alliance team who were involved in the design and construction of all supporting infrastructure and utilities.
The REAL Alliance was awarded the GRIP 4 Design for the PSU2 Programme, under the Alliance Development Agreement, in March 2018. To aid the continued collaboration of the six Alliance partner businesses, co-location of the integrated project organisation, and associated support teams was identified as a key component for success. As such, there was a requirement to procure the office establishment at the York site.
VolkerSite Services provided a two-storey building, consisting of 50 modules (12.3m x 3.1m), for the office accommodation. The building design includes a separate ground floor office for the Network Rail East Coast Team but the main priority for the building was to enable a hub for collaborative working with a full capacity of up to 180 members of staff. Covering a total floor area of 1,893.6m2, it took VolkerSite Services seven days to install the units, and included nine meeting rooms, a boardroom, canteen, prayer room, breakout rooms and toilets. As well as internal and external staircases, the units also included an accessible passenger lift.
Two key drivers for success for the York accommodation build project for the PSU2 project were the design proposal and management strategy, with 80% of the units fabricated off site in Cannock.
As the site was adjacent to York Railway Station and the National Railway Museum, it provided a number of logistical challenges. The key challenge presented to the team was the access restrictions to the site, due to a low bridge of 3.7m at the site’s entrance.
To overcome this, VolkerSite Services agreed a temporary off-loading facility where the units were transferred onto 300mm high wafer trailers, and then successfully delivered to site under the low bridge.
Due to restrictions and congestion across York, all deliveries took place across night shifts, with VolkerSite Services managing traffic to ensure minimum disruption. In taking this approach, we were able to minimise disruption to the wider public and other contractors, whilst our programme of work remained unaffected.
The REAL team were able to move into the building on completion in October 2019 and it now provides the main project office for the East Coast Mainline Power Supply Upgrade.
