The first nuclear facility of its kind to be built using modular construction is at Dounreay in Scotland. The contract for the £9m laboratory for the analysis of radioactive materials was awarded by site clean-up contractor, Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL), to a team led by off-site manufacturer and main contractor, the Portakabin Group.
The 1,300m2 building was made off-site at the Portakabin Group production centre in York and was craned into position in only four days to minimise disruption to operations at Dounreay.
It provides six laboratories to allow DSRL to comply with its statutory and environmental monitoring requirements until the Dounreay site is closed. The scheme will remain in use for up to 25 years until the site decommissioning process has been completed. It will then be deconstructed – the building modules are inherently easy to disassemble, recycle and re-use elsewhere, making the approach highly sustainable.
The scheme accommodates 36 fume cupboards, gloveboxes and a specialised nuclear ventilation system with heavier, more complex ductwork than other applications of modular construction. It also incorporates acid and non-acid fume extraction, HEPA filtration, and a discharge stack. Furthermore, each laboratory has one-hour fire containment to the entire building fabric – thought to be a first for the modular industry.
Benefits of off-site construction
- Programme times reduced by up to 50%, allowing earlier completion and occupation
- Reduced disruption to existing nuclear site or decommissioning operations during construction
- A robust building system that can withstand the rigours of the most demanding external environments, such as wind loadings and exposed coastal locations
- Material wastage reduced by up to 90% (source: WRAP)
- Up to 90% fewer vehicle movements to site
- Improved quality and reduced future maintenance
- Ease of deconstruction for recycling when a building reaches the end of its life
- Enhanced thermal efficiency and air tightness for improved building performance
- Greater cost control
Commenting on the project, Maryrose Bailey, Senior Project Manager at Dounreay Site Restoration, said: ‘The Yorkon solution has resulted in a really excellent facility. We are impressed with the finished building which feels spacious and solid and benefits from outstanding thermal insulation. You would definitely never know it was built in a factory. We are looking forward to having the facility fully operational after the active commissioning phase.’
A specialised nuclear ventilation system was required
Simon Ambler, Director of the Portakabin Group, said: ‘This was one of the most complex and remote projects that we have undertaken in recent years, and we are pleased to have received such positive feedback about the quality of the building. It successfully demonstrates the huge potential of off-site construction for similar highly specialised industrial facilities.’
The Dounreay scheme has been designed in full compliance with stringent nuclear industry requirements and regulations for ionising radiation and to withstand the rigours of a highly exposed marine environment. Its facilities include the laboratories, offices, drench showers and boot barrier in the active area, with ancillary accommodation for offices and locker rooms in the clean area.
The project had to meet stringent nuclear industry requirements
Yorkon off-site building solutions give building designers, contractors and occupiers the benefit of thousands of configurations and permutations to meet almost any design brief, site and building footprint. The approach is also highly sustainable because it reduces the number of vehicle movements and work on site, and there are fewer internal columns to facilitate space planning and any future reconfiguration to meet changing requirements.
Yorkon, Portakabin Group and Portakabin are registered trademarks.
