Grays (Consulting Engineers) Limited were appointed for the refurbishment of the former RAF St Athan site for Aston Martin Lagonda. The project in scope is vast as we were required to refurbish the hangars and aid in the repurposing of the site for industrial process with the added new commercial aspect of the site.
There were many variants to the development process, primarily the inclusion of the process plant equipment for the manufacture of both elite supercars and the forthcoming Aston Martin SUV. Due to plant design changes, the redesign of support structures required quick thinking in order to maintain the extent of mezzanine floor area required and maintaining structure integrity and allowing easy installation and operation of the plant equipment.
Close liaison with the design team and Client was paramount due to the nature of the subtle changes imposed by the plant equipment and Client requirements.
In addition to the refurbishment and new build commercial structure, Grays are also responsible for the design of the bespoke vehicle test & integrity track. The installation of a large hill from site fill to meet the gradient profiles needed for the vehicle types proved challenging as several designs were discussed. To ensure that the Client received the best possible solution at the most affordable cost, a single hill option was chosen from a two tiered structure with retaining elements throughout. The value engineering process saved the Client a considerable amount to the construction costs and delivered a solution which meets the original specification.