CEFAS (The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science)

The team constructed a purpose-built, sustainable research facility to allow CEFAS to rationalise their existing estate, which had become expensive and inefficient to maintain. The buildings contain state-of-the-art laboratories for CEFAS and its parent body Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) to meet rapidly changing requirements and remain at the forefront of a new century of marine science.

Key Stats

Project was delivered via the Suffolk County Council Framework

Development of new exterior products to deliver long-term protection against the seafront elements

Project was delivered on a live site, around sensitive research projects

Extensive value engineering exercise saved £2.75 million for the customer

Working around the infrastructure of existing buildings, such as the M&E supply of the Grand Hotel

At a Glance

Client

CEFAS and DEFRA

Budget

£18.3 million

Completion

April 2020

Location

Lowestoft, Suffolk

Sector

Commercial

Our approach

The building was designed to RIBA stage 3 when the team was appointed to the project. At the start of the second stage, the team quickly identified that the existing design was unaffordable for the customer, so a value engineering exercise took place to bring the scheme into budget, and a £2.75 million saving was made.

The Morgan Sindall Construction team in the East has delivered a number of projects in the region where suitability of materials, products and finishes has to be considered to meet the effect of the marine environment. The CEFAS HQ is located less than 100 metres from Lowestoft seafront, so the team worked with their supply chain partners to develop a powder coated, corrosion resistant finish to the curtain walling system and all façade materials. This solution meant that the exterior of the building would retain its original design and look, as well as support the customer with their ongoing maintenance.

The team in the East has delivered a number of commercial buildings for large businesses in the region

East

A part of the community

The team was working on a live site, and so weekend working took place to ensure CEFAS employees could continue their vital research projects during the week without disruption. The local park run took place in Lowestoft on a Saturday morning, and the route went right past the site entrance, so the team set up water stations for competitors to keep everyone refreshed on race days.

The CEFAS and Morgan Sindall Construction teams had a common objective when it comes to the global focus on plastics and the environment. As part of this, the team undertook regular litter picks of Lowestoft beach, around the site and in the local neighbourhood to make a small difference to the community in its fight against plastic pollution.

This day, being the Government’s focus day for starting to get more people back to work, I wanted to drop you a note to thank you both, and your teams, for taking on the extra challenges of already getting your operations restarted. I am aware of the extra procedural adjustments you have had to make to ensure the safety of all our staff, contractors and the public to the risks of Covid-19 on top of all other ‘normal’ health and safety risks and I am seriously grateful for all the consideration and professionalism you have clearly put into this duty. So, thank you very much for keeping things going in the right way at the sharp end and I hope to see you on site soon, and I also hope the celebratory end will not be far away too.
Tim Green, Deputy CEO & Finance Director, Cefas