Partner Article

SES Engineering Services secures King’s Cross Gasholders contract

Leading national engineering specialist, SES Engineering Services has secured a significant contract to deliver a fourth Mechanical & Electrical (M&E) Design and Build services project on one of the best-regarded developments in Central London.

Working alongside main contractor Carillion, and Developer Argent, SES is set to deliver the design and installation of all Mechanical & Electrical works on three pioneering circular residential buildings which will sit within the original Grade II-listed, cast-iron gasholder guide frames which are twelve, nine and eight storeys high with 145 distinctive canal-side apartments and penthouses at King’s Cross.

Work on the Gasholders London project started in October 2015, when SES also started work on delivering M&E services on the associated marketing suite.

The project win follows SES’ successful completion of a contract to provide full M&E services for 255 apartments across 10 floors of the Plimsoll (P1) Building also at King’s Cross. This innovative project has attracted widespread praise from the engineering industry.

The Plimsoll project saw SES utilise world-leading off-site manufacturing and pre-fabrication techniques to design and install 255 service cupboard modules, one for each apartment, which incorporated all essential mechanical and electrical plant and equipment.

These installations - including a heat interface unit, MVHR units, underfloor heating manifolds, consumer unit, BT Home Hub and space for a washing machine – represent a major efficiency and safety innovation. Created off-site, these units would otherwise have required multiple trades on site working in a congested area, representing a major logistical and health and safety issue.

The SES team will now be applying the same technologies to install 145 cupboard modules at the new Gasholders build, a project which presents the additional challenge of ensuring M&E solutions are designed exclusively for a circular building.

In addition, SES will deliver all the main service risers covering six riser shafts each extending up the three gasholders incorporating 1.7km of finished and tested pipework, ductwork and electrical containment.

The King’s Cross development is transforming the heart of central London with the creation of 50 new buildings, 2,000 new homes, 20 new streets and 10 new public squares.

It is anticipated that the development, has its own postcode, N1C, which will see 45,000 people live, work and study in the area. The scheme demonstrates the scale of the city’s ambition to deliver both vital and nationally-unrivalled housing and infrastructure provision.

Mark Perkins, Managing Director, SES commented: “The success of the Plimsoll King’s Cross project and the nationwide recognition of our award winning off-site solutions has been a fantastic stepping stone as we look to continue to consolidate our position as the contractor of choice in the growing London and South East market.

“We are determined to build on our success in London and the South East and we’re proud to be appointed to continue to work on such a prominent and high-profile project at the heart of the regeneration of this area of London.

“Our PRISM facility is at the forefront of M&E installations and we are already seeing the benefit of this approach which is helping to programme a significant reduction in the forecasted construction period as a result.

“An important factor in the successful design, planning and procurement stages has been the open-plan offices and collaborative culture we share with Carillion, all contractors and our on-site operatives, design team and PRISM colleagues.”

A specialist in offsite manufacture, SES recently became the first Mechanical, Electrical and Public Health Services contractor (MEP) to achieve BRE Accredited BIM Level 2 Certification, one month ahead of the government’s public sector project compliance deadline.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by SES .