Start on site for new industrial unit at Fulwood Park, Huthwaite

Stephen George + Partners (SGP) is celebrating the start on site of a new 17,707m² warehouse at the established Fulwood Park, Huthwaite, near Junction 28 of the M1 motorway. SGP’s design for client Rula Developments, a privately-owned commercial development company, makes maximum use of the site to deliver a single unit warehouse with 17 dock and three level access doors, a three-storey outboard office, gatehouse, car parking, delivery yard and associated landscaping.

Explains Mark Macmanard, Principal Technologist at SGP: “Although we have been working with Rula Developments on feasibility studies for several sites, Fulwood Park is the first project that has progressed to Stage 5 with the client. Fulwood Park is a popular industrial park, but this particular site has several challenges, including an irregular topography, significantly differing levels and overhead cables crossing the main area. We produced several options for the layout of the site, testing one-, two- and three-unit schemes before settling on a single large unit as the best option to maximise the useable space.”

SGP’s intent was to deliver a state-of-the-art design proposal including green spaces, and a sense of place, created through careful site arrangement, sensitive scale and geometry and thoughtful materiality. The building is arranged with active frontages along the park’s main access road, addressing focal points and vistas within the site, whilst the service areas face internally within the site to minimise operational impacts on existing buildings.

Mark Hawthorne, Development Director at Rula Developments said: “We want to thank SGP for their support on this project. Their team have been fantastic to work with and we hope this will lead to continued work on various other projects moving forward”.

Continues Joseph Silva, Architect: “Working with Rula Developments, we have been given the opportunity to experiment with the external designs and create a bespoke treatment for the client and the site. We chose cladding in silver and grey for the main body to create a contemporary design, while also reducing visual impact of the unit. The outboard office uses a mixture of cladding treatment, including flat panels and extensive glazing to create a clear definition between the office and the warehouse. A simple feature band in the client’s signature red binds the development together.”

Finishes Mark Macmanard: “We are very pleased to be appointed as delivery architect on this scheme. To be able to see our design being built out after being focused on optioneering and feasibility studies on several other sites gives a great sense of fulfilment. We hope our continuing relationship will see SGP’s sector and technical experience applied on many more commercial projects for Rula.”

The warehouse is targeting BREEAM Excellent and an EPC A rating. The contractor is Glencar Construction and project is expected to complete in Q2 2024.