The National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS)

The National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) is an industry-led centre of manufacturing excellence, developed to connect Scottish engineering universities and colleges with industry and the public-sector. This ground-breaking R&D facility aims to boost the skills of current and future workforces, as well as promote collaborative working, sustainability and innovation, in an environment that is both carbon-neutral and optimized for productivity.

Positioned within the Advance Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS) campus in Glasgow, NMIS’ new flagship HQ is a catalyst for future development, attracting world-leading companies and institutions at the cutting edge of manufacturing.  Consequently, the project team sought to deliver a building which would be in harmony with and fully facilitate the institute’s aims.  

Officially opened in June 2023, the building has since received wide critical acclaim, which is testament to the skilfully executed design and delivery from the expert project team. HLM Architects, alongside The Waterman Group as structural engineering consultant, were joined by Morrison Construction who were appointed as main contractor. B&K Hybrid Solutions (BKHS), as the UK’s leading sustainable frame contractor specialising in timber and hybrid solutions, were selected to deliver the dramatic diagrid CLT roof and other structural elements, together with their supply chain partners Stora Enso & Rubner. 

The result is a striking, contemporary building which has received high praise from the client, aligning with their innovation and sustainability goals.  In particular, the visual architectural statement made by the 32m long window – dubbed the ‘Window to the World’, with its angled columns - makes an emblematic statement for the project and truly showcases the use of timber.

The BREEAM Outstanding NMIS headquarters facility showcases structural timber at its core. In keeping with its educational ambitions, the Academy is housed within an architecturally advanced and striking two-storey structure, where timber is the key element to this hybrid design, optimising the aesthetics of the materials on show. 

Morrison Construction have undertaken many high-profile developments in Scotland, while B&K Hybrid Solutions is the UK’s leading sustainable structural frame contractor, specialising in the design and delivery of timber and timber-steel hybrid structures. Structural engineer, The Waterman Group, produced the main structural design, and specialist timber engineers Engenuiti consulted on the timber connections and other details.

B&K Hybrid Solutions called on their long-term supply chain partners Stora Enso and Rubner to deliver the diagrid style roof structure, together with the diagonal glulam columns which define the building’s striking outward and internal appearance. Visible on the skyline, the 32m x 12m ‘Window to the World’ provides a view into the facility, framed by the crossed glulam structure that springs above the office and collaborative spaces. 

NMIS’s unique structural identity creates an 18m x 80m column-free space, maximising flexibility and providing the potential for future internal reconfiguration. The prefabricated diagrid structure and panelised CLT roof were assembled onsite, with the bespoke, asymmetric CLT rooflight being selected as an ideal factory-fabricated alternative to forming such complex openings in-situ. Crucially, the solution offered speed and accuracy as well as reduced health and safety risks.

The CLT slabs span between a series of primary beams arranged with secondary beams in a diagrid pattern, and are supported on limited steel columns internally, while the substantial glulam columns along the façade line also provide lateral stability to the entire timber frame. An external CLT canopy is formed around the perimeter and is supported by slender circular steel columns. 

As timber roofs are subject to load deflections as well as thermal and moisture movement, the complexity of the geometry and slenderness of the sections here required sophisticated connections which BKHS and Engenuiti devised over a two-month period. A key challenge was the complex movement joint, which were required to allow differential movements in both horizontal directions. 

Nathan Wheatley, Director at Engenuiti, commented: 

“The movements vary depending on the grain direction of the timber, changes in moisture content, the magnitude and duration of loadings - and their prediction requires an in-depth understanding of the behaviour of the material.”   

B&K Hybrid Solutions worked collaboratively with Stora Enso to shorten the lead-in time of the CLT, benefiting from the manufacturer’s highly automated production facilities and advanced design capabilities, which provided millimetre accuracy and certainty on delivery dates.

The offsite construction supply chain for this project used an IFC (Industry Foundation Class) 3D model to predetermine precisely how the CLT in the project was to be installed on site, before manufacture began. This highly digitised Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) approach allowed for clash detection and material optimisation, by augmenting individual panel sizes, also reducing waste in the factory and on site.

Meanwhile, transport for the timber elements were scheduled using a new tool with searchable 3D, 2D and table views of each truck load, ordered in sequence of installation. This cut overall programme time, by avoiding delays in locating panels and enabling just-in-time delivery, as well as installation in a predetermined and efficient sequence. 

Offsite manufactured structural timber solutions have inherent benefits for programme efficiency, reducing onsite prelims and supervision costs by 20% and overall construction time by up to 30% compared to traditional construction. Due to the lower weight of CLT compared to steel or precast concrete, foundation costs and materials were also reduced. 

Overall, as a result of these efficiencies and BKHS’ expertise with this type of hybrid timber construction, National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) was delivered on time and within budget, to the client’s requirements.

NMIS has been designed to operate without the use of fossil fuels for its energy generation. Instead, it prioritises ‘fabric first’ passive measures, low U-values and energy efficiency, making use of 100% renewable energy generated onsite. Not only does engineered timber store significant amounts of carbon for the lifetime of the development, but the reduced man hours and plant machinery required for its erection further reduces the embodied energy of the development.

By utilising Stora Enso manufactured CLT, energy-efficiency was maximised by addressing equally the system U-values, heat loss at junctions and air tightness. As the CLT panels for this project form a very airtight layer within the superstructure, the overall amount of insulation material required was reduced.

Thanks to offsite manufacturing, waste materials in this project were minimised. The manufacture of the CLT superstructure utilized 33% of each tree, with the highest quality timber employed to make the prefabricated panels. Due to Stora Enso’s integrated supply chain, 66% of the lower quality material was directed from the sawmills to consumer products such as renewable packaging, ensuring 99% of each tree overall was consumed. 

Prioritising sustainable and recycled materials, the design processes reviewed options to ensure optimum energy efficiency over the lifecycle of NMIS and its components.
Adopting a hybrid timber and steel system reduced material impact through design, construction and maintenance, utilising the benefits of OSM.

In part, this has been achieved by the standardisation of grids and digital factory modules in phases 1 and 2. This included repetition for building form and elements such as roof lights, modularisation of the meeting room and teaching pods, along with designing to material dimensions by optimising cladding and glazed panel sizes.

Offsite fabrication of the meeting rooms, MSA teaching pods, glulam diagrid and CLT roof all reduced waste being sent to landfill, while the whole of NMIS has been designed for durability, disassembly and adaptability - to suit future inhabitant needs and encourage the reuse/recycling of the building’s elements at end of life. 

B&K Hybrid Solutions used PEFC-certified wood from well-managed forests carrying 100% full chain of custody, with the 759.4m3 of timber capturing 566 tonnes of CO2e.  The CLT therefore delivered maximum points at MAT03 of BREEAM, while the adhesives used conform to EN301 and formaldehyde Class E1. 

There are also passive benefits to a structural timber structure, with the breathable nature of the material meaning moisture can be absorbed in periods of high humidity and released slowly later. The volume offers a degree of thermal mass to mitigate extremes of temperature, and the design of the diagrid roof contributes to cutting reverberation. 

Overall, NMIS is a centre of manufacturing excellence and a truly groundbreaking R&D facility. As such, the construction and design of the building itself needed to be equally innovative, utilising modern construction methods to deliver an exemplar building that will not only perform to a high standard, but benefits from sustainable construction materials. 

B&K Hybrid Solutions’ timber and hybrid expertise has been imperative the final outcome, which fully facilitates the institute’s aims and sets a benchmark for the education sector.