The National Composites Centre will boost the development, design and manufacturing of composite structures in the UK.
The National Composites Centre is designed to be a world-class facility in Bristol, that will bring together industry experts in the area of composites research and manufacturing, to boost the development, design and manufacturing of high quality composite structures in the UK.
The centre will be constructed at the Science Park in Emersons Green and is a collaboration between the South West Regional Development Agency and the University of Bristol. The 8,500 square metre facility has five founding members that have committed to participate in the centre and they are Vestas, Rolls Royce, AgustaWestland, Airbus UK, and GKN.
The National Composites Centre will become a centre of excellence for composites and offer light-weight, high performance materials that will reduce the environmental impact of industries that traditionally produce a lot of carbon, such as manufacturing. In addition to environmental benefits, it is also expected that the centre will deliver cost reductions with the new materials.
The architects, Stride Treglown, created a building that features a complicated multi-elevation roof. This enables the design to make the most of natural light pouring into the workshop floor of the centre. The building is targeted to hit the BREEAM Excellent environmental rating, and the design includes a large array of photovoltaic cells on the roof alongside the glazed roof lights to generate electricity.
Billington Structures supplied the structural steelwork for the main factory, including North Light, the 2 storey office block, plant room, mezzanine floor, boiler house, internal crane rails and steel stairs for this project. Kier Western were appointed as the main contractor for this project, along with Halcrowe Yolkes, as the engineering firm.
The centre will be capable of building prototypes, enabling them to validate design concepts and provide manufacturing facilities at an industrial scale. The National Composites Centre is a strategically important development for both Bristol and the wider economy as it helps to create innovative new materials for the future.
