International oil field services company Expro has won two important design awards for its new subsea centre in Cumbria.
The Subsea Excellence Centre, in Ulverston, is the manufacturing headquarters for Expro Connectors and boasts solar power and rainwater capture devices. The 114,377 sq ft building won the UK’s Best Industrial Development award at the UK Property Awards on Saturday night (Saturday November 27).
The building then went on to scoop the best international industrial development, in the international category, later in the evening.
The building was developed by Newcastle upon Tyne-based Merchant Place Developments (MPD).
Expro Connectors Director, Mark Jones, said: “I am delighted with this award. It is a fantastic facility which was delivered on time, on budget and to demanding specifications. I’m proud to have been involved in its development and am really pleased for Geoff Hunton and the MPD team.
“As a team we are now all under one roof. It’s a pleasure to work in this modern, great-looking factory. The craftsmanship of the design and build is outstanding and it is no surprise to me that this building has won such an award.”
MPD director, Geoff Hunton, says the award is an outstanding achievement for his company bearing in mind the UK Property Awards are part of a global competition involving more than 100 countries.
He said: “It is the world’s most prestigious competition dedicated to finding the most outstanding property professionals across the entire globe. To be recognised in such company is an exceptional achievement.”
The Ulverston project is a headquarters production and research facility with nearly 60,000 sq ft of production space, some 47,000 sq ft of office space and a specialist moulding and machine workshop.
Architecturally striking, attractive glazed curtain walling runs along the entire front elevation.
Mr Hunton said: “The Expro subsea development was delivered on time and on budget. The standard of design for the building, together with the quality of construction, was of a very high order.
“We assembled a fine team to bring the development forward including; Copro Consulting of Newcastle which acted as the bank’s development monitors; TGA Consulting of Durham, the project’s mechanical and electrical design engineers; the contractors, Eric Wright Construction; Jeffery Associates, the architect; Dewar Associates, the structural engineers and Michael Eyres Partnership, the project managers and cost consultants.”
Expro invested around £12 million in the new facility which has brought major logistical benefits to customers and the wider sector. With a production area the size of a football pitch, streamlined manufacturing processes have been developed to reduce lead times and allow a total focus on quality.
Expro’s Tronic connectors, which are designed and manufactured in Ulverston, are market-leading subsea power and data connection systems used to enable the extraction of valuable reserves throughout the global oil and gas industry.
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Source: Expro , December 2, 2010;