Member Article

£200 million Stephenson Quarter transformation making significant progress

Twelve months since the transformation of Newcastle’s historic city centre, Stephenson Quarter commenced, and with the Crowne Plaza hotel due for completion in Summer 2015, Newcastle-based building services provider, Shepherd Engineering Services reports on the significant progress already made.

As part of the landmark £200 million infrastructure master plan for the region, Shepherd Engineering Services is providing full mechanical and electrical (M&E) services to the Stephenson Quarter development.

Implementing its advanced offsite capabilities - Building Information Modelling (BIM) and prefabrication facility, PRISM, Shepherd Engineering Services is already delivering significant cost and labour reductions.

Using Shepherd PRISM to provide 3D service modules on the floors, main riser and roof top plant room for the 250 bed Crowne Plaza hotel has been instrumental to project success so far, with the offsite team designing and manufacturing the components ready for delivery to the onsite team.

Combining its offsite manufacturing facility, PRISM, with its unique BIM expertise, Shepherd Engineering Services has been able to ease co-ordination, reduce its carbon footprint and increase the safety hours on the city centre site, other key factors in supporting project progress to date.

Working in partnership with Miller Construction, Shepherd Engineering Services is helping to create this inspiring and vibrant mixed-use development, which is set to enhance the lives of those living and working there, as well as contribute to the overall rejuvenation of the city’s historic, Stephenson Quarter area.

The ten-acre Stephenson Quarter site, adjacent to Newcastle Central Station, will feature a new 250 bed Crowne Plaza Hotel, 3000sqm office block, restaurants, an art gallery and a car park.

Regional Director at Shepherd Engineering Services,Steve Joyce, said: “The success of this project so far is due to our early engagement with both the client and partner, Miller Construction/Galliford Try, which has allowed us to influence the design from the outset while managing all stakeholder expectations.

“Adopting a collaborative approach to this project with Space Architecture and Desco is enabling us to create and engineer a technically brilliant space while our pioneering BIM and PRISM facilities have provided the scope to deliver robust, cost effective solutions into the project, months in advance of commencing on site.

“Aspects of this live, city centre development have been extremely challenging, however, thanks to our leading BIM specialists, we have been able to foresee any potential obstacles and apply ingenious solutions for an effective delivery.”

Shepherd Engineering Services’ work on Stephenson Quarter is running parallel to several other high-profile engineering projects across the North East.

Work includes the state-of-the-art Hitachi rail vehicle manufacturing facility at Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, which celebrated its topping out ceremony last month (30 October), and Consett Academy and Leisure Centre.

These prominent contracts illustrate the company’s ability to create and engineer practical environments that exceed expectations for its clients across the region.

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