Port of Tyne’s new O&M base is a CLT & Glulam hybrid scheme that has been designed to achieve net zero carbon and provide one of the best workspaces in the North-East, to support the biggest offshore wind farm in the world.
Structural timber - as an accurate, sustainable and speedy offsite construction method - was the ideal choice for this state-of-the-art project with such high environmental requirements that, when operational, will support what the offshore wind farm in boosting the UK’s energy security.
Designed by Newcastle-based Ryder Architecture, to be operated in line with the UK Green Building Council’s (UKGBC) Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework, the project was delivered by specialist timber subcontractor
B&K Structures and structural engineer Engenuiti, on behalf of Bowmer and Kirkland and the client Equinor. When in operation, the state-of-the-art net zero facility will generate over 400 jobs and produce around 5% of the UK’s electricity.
The client Equinor’s ambition is to have carbon neutral operations by 2030 and become a net zero energy company by 2050. Similarly, Port of Tyne have made a commitment to decarbonisation, setting targets to become net zero by 2030 and all-electric by 2040.
As such, the Dogger Bank O&M base is the first facility to achieve net zero in both embodied and operational carbon, sitting within Port of Tyne’s Clean Energy Park.
The client’s high sustainability goals have been showcased not only in their future energy capacity but the within the building fabric itself. Constructed using low embodied carbon structural timber, carbon emissions were also reduced throughout the complete design and build sequence - from reduced time on site, to transport and waste – making it a genuinely sustainable building, for a sustainable cause.
Specification
A fabric first approach led to the specification of structural timber, as an accurate, sustainable and speedy offsite construction method – ideal for a project with such high environmental requirements, supporting the world’s largest offshore wind farm.
As Francesca Harrison, project architect at Ryder states, “The design proposals reflect Dogger Bank’s drive for a more sustainable future. It has been designed to achieve net zero carbon and provide one of the best workspaces in the North-East, helping Dogger Bank to attract the best talent.”
The specification of timber has not only helped Dogger Bank to be the first POT facility to achieve net zero in both embodied and operational carbon, but also enabled the project team to capitalise on the benefits of offsite construction, such as the accuracy of prefabrication, speed of installation and potential for reuse of materials at end of life.
Prefabricated CLT and glulam beams were coordinated throughout the design stage to reduce site cutting and additional bracket requirements, and the quality of materials supplied were commended by the site team, with little to no alterations needed due to the accuracy of the prefabrication.
Due to the lightweight yet high-strength properties of the CLT, foundation materials and costs were reduced, and there was no need for site cutting, carving, wet works or complex details: improving progress, health and safety on site, and future maintenance requirements. The client and FM team were keen to reduce surface treatment requirements and the need for ongoing maintenance, which suited the use of glulam which is less susceptible to UV and moisture.
Construction
While the specification of timber for Dogger Bank O&M base was primarily for sustainability, the benefits of the timber system - and employing an experienced installation team under BKS – led to additional benefits on site.
Sherpa brackets enabled the timber panels to be erected very quickly – like ‘a giant IKEA kit’ – with almost faultless precision, and specialist timber subcontractor B&K Structures completed works over two weeks early.
The simplicity of the construction sequence and use of sherpa brackets ensures that Port of Tyne will be easy to deconstruct at end of life, with the best and most realistic chance for quality reuse of materials. While many timber structures are considered reusable, they are often challenging or expensive to deconstruct and involve downgrading elements, meaning efficient reuse is unlikely. The base has been designed to combat this and ensure high quality, reusable elements can be retained, making the building simple and inexpensive to deconstruct.
Harry Snook, Engenuiti: “The way POT has been constructed means that you could literally take it apart and re-use all of the beams, CLT slabs and columns elsewhere – simply unscrew the CLT slabs, lift them out, lift out the beams, remove dowels from the column bases and remove the columns: done. If you built the substructure elsewhere, you could genuinely just move this building, with additional holding down anchors, timber plugs, and some dowels (& a crane!). The O&M building is not just theoretically circular but will actually provide high quality contributions to the circular economy – a true showcase for disassembly versus demolition.”
The timber system reduced onsite prelims and supervision cost by 20% and overall construction time by up to 50% compared to traditional construction, with only 1 crane and a team of 5 people required on site. Timber products were delivered to site on a ‘just in time’ basis, reducing the need for additional storage space, fire hazards and the water ingress – products are not left exposed to the elements, but are coordinated to arrive to suit installation schedules.
In only 9 weeks, 141 CLT panels and 670 connectors were installed faultlessly, allowing follow-on trades to be sequenced efficiently and arrive on site earlier. Offsite precision-prefabrication minimised defects and snagging and the factory fixed sherpa brackets allows for glulam beams to be simply lowered into place, reducing any need for flitched endplates or slow/complex installation phases.
Sherpa connections were 3D modelled to ensure they would not clash, making the onsite processes simpler, safer and quicker. The use of timber meant waste and transport was reduced, with less than 1% of the UK’s waste timber going to landfill and minimal offcuts on site due to the accuracy of the prefabrication process, and only one truck needed for every seven for an equivalent pre-cast scheme.
Sustainability
Aiming to make a real contribution to decarbonising our electricity system, sustainability was understandably a key requirement for Port of Tyne from the offset, and the specification of timber as an accurate, sustainable and speedy offsite construction method was the ideal choice for a project with such high environmental requirements.
Energy efficiency was maximised with a multi-variable design approach giving equal importance to U-values, heat loss at junctions and air tightness – CLT panels form a continuous air tightness layer, reducing required insulation and maximizing indoor air quality, making it healthier for occupants while offering excellent structural stability, thermal and acoustic values. CLT, as a modern method of construction, is also highly recyclable with zero product waste of site, and only low-density polyethylene (LDPE) packaging waste is produced.
The O&M Base has been constructed in line with the UKGBC’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework to meet the highest energy efficiency standards. 383 Solar PV panels have been installed for renewable energy generation, along with 20 electric vehicle charging points. Alongside the timber structure, the warehouse utilises recycled steel and features a highly efficient heating and cooling system.
As a key contributing CO2e reduction measure, the use of mass timber on the project resulted in achieving both the LETI and RIBA 2030 benchmarks for reduction in embodied carbon.
The 259.573m³ of PEFC timber captured 351.946 tonnes of CO2e, delivering maximum points at MAT03 of BREEAM, and was replaced by new growth in just 1 minute and 43 seconds.
Conclusion
When fully operational, Dogger Bank will create 400 local jobs and generate 3.6 GW of capacity, able to power the equivalent of 6 million UK homes; making a real contribution to decarbonising our electricity system and helping the UK meet its net zero targets.
In line with the project objectives, a focus on local construction and supply chain partners saw over £7.5m spent within the North East, with a key focus on procuring goods and services locally.
The reduced programme time and high-quality finish of the O&M Base can be attributed to excellent installation practices and strong collaboration between the team on site. The final result is a project that was not only erected with ease but will be similarly demountable – raising the bar for the potential of timber construction and the sustainability benefits this brings.
Overall, Port of Tyne pushed to maximise the benefits of structural timber, utilising a collaborative and detailed design approach to deliver speedy, quantifiable, real-time results, whilst also allowing for a high level of flexibility, deconstructability and re-use - a true case study for the benefits of timber.
