Temporary building boosts workshop space

Aquila provides high quality commercial vehicles and services to the logistics industry. The Tipton site is the company’s flagship depot, providing an extensive range of services including maintenance, repairs and parts ordering for trucks, vans and coaches.

Aquila sought to expand its existing services at Tipton by offering Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) approved space for Tachograph Testing for the Ministry of Transport. In addition, the company required a dedicated area for modifying Turbocharged Direct Injection vehicles and another for pre-delivery inspection.

In response, Smart-Space provided Aquila with a 25m by 14m custom-built semi-permanent structure. The building features windows, lighting, a pedestrian entrance and roller doors for easy vehicle access. It is fitted with 40mm steel wall cladding for improved energy efficiency, and a sturdy steel roof for extra security and protection. In addition, Smart-Space constructed an inspection pit for vehicle testing and an office for the mechanics.

Compared to other temporary buildings with PVC fabric roofs, the interim building is significantly better insulated, which creates a more comfortable and professional working environment. Unlike PVC fabric, the 40mm insulated steel roof will also help Aquila to save thousands of pounds a year in energy as it retains significantly more heat.

Smart-Space took care of the entire project from planning and design through to implementation and handover. This included preparing the ground by laying a concrete pad, obtaining necessary planning permissions and fitting concrete bollards to protect the building from moving vehicles.

The Tipton site operates 24 hours a day and Smart-Space ensured that minimum disruption was caused to the running of the facility during the build, which took just three weeks.

Aquila chose Smart-Space because of its ability to deliver the project quickly and capacity to handle the entire project from start to finish. The steel structure also proved to be a more cost-effective option than a traditional bricks and mortar building or a PVC alternative.