A global increase in demand for its whisky has led to this customer increasing production. To support this increase they are constructing a new multi-million pound warehousing complex at Kirkcaldy in Fife. The new warehouses will support the increased productivity and reduce the cost of transporting the product between the distillery and warehouse.
The development, which is expected to take seven years to complete, will be carried out in several phases. Based on a long standing relationship with the customer, ISG has been appointed to Phase 1 and Phase 2A of the project to date.
A large amount of work was required to prepare the agricultural and reclaimed opencast working land for construction. Seven maturation warehouses were built as part of phase one which are steel framed with external cladding and a concrete ground floor slab. Fire safety is a key priority, and each warehouse has been divided into three cells by internal firewalls. Intrinsically safe lighting, sounders for the fire alarm system and sprinkler systems have been installed in each building.
Further buildings included an office, including a canteen and welfare area; a gatehouse, workshop and stores; a fire engine shed; a HV switch room, a sprinkler pump house and tanks; four forklift charging bays/ toilets blocks and a diesel fuelling station. Parking for 55 cars was provided, soft landscaping was undertaken and external fencing was installed.
A live overhead power cable crosses the site and remained in situ throughout the project. A protective zone was formed around the area with designated points to allow traffic to cross safely through the area. A phased programme allowed the customer to utilise the first buildings as they were completed.
A strong performance on this project led to a £1.7m variation on the Phase 1 and ISG has also been awarded Phase 2A, valued at £17m.
The site received an exemplary score in its Considerate Constructors Scheme audit, achieving 43 out of 50, significantly above the industry average. The site also obtained a top score of 10/10 for ‘caring for the workforce’. The introduction of a clean desk policy in the site canteen caught the auditor’s attention. For this to work 100 lockers (enough for everyone on site) were provided in the drying room.