CASE STUDY
STRUCTURAL TIMBER
DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY: MORGAN EXPERIENCE CENTRE
1 Hewitt Studios have repurposed a collection of ageing post-war buildings as a sustainable new visitor Experience Centre for the Morgan Motor Company in Malvern, England with timber as the perfect solution. Hewitt Studios were invited by the Morgan Motor Company to reimagine their ageing cafe, museum and showroom spaces as an exciting new £1.8million visitor Experience Centre. The Morgan Motor Company has been making cars on the same site in Malvern England since 1914, employing generations of local craftsman to construct their cars from three reusable and recyclable core elements: ash timber, aluminium and leather. Consistent with a brand that prides itself on ethical sourcing, natural materials, local craftsmanship and a long-lived legacy, the solution had a strong focus on sustainability – a series of low-carbon buildings designed to improve building thermal performance, increase natural daylight, reduce energy consumption, reduce surface water run-off and provide for end-oflife recycling of materials. The three new buildings all utilise prefabricated, modular timber structures which relate to the historic ash construction of the Morgan body frame. Moreover, they actually all utilise the same inexpensive, off-the-shelf industrial product (Metsä Wood Kerto LVL), which has been
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manipulated in a number of different ways to achieve a variety of different outcomes. The building is also partly constructed using local materials, including cedar from local forests. This strategy of using a single conventional product in a number of unconventional ways delivers terrific value for Morgan, creating the impression of an expensive bespoke outcome using readily available ‘stock’ timber sections. It also creates an important legacy for the site, employing sustainably-sourced timber detailed to enable easy dismantling for re-use and/or recycling at the end of the structure’s life. Timber is also used extensively for cladding, with easily recyclable aluminium flashings and cladding panels employed in critical weathering locations as a reference to Morgan’s chosen panel material, and that of its latest chassis. The result is a dramatic transformation of the site. The refurbished Experience Centre has a greatly reduced energy requirement, due in part to the choice of timber structure. This project has been delivered in a short window (effectively six months, allowing for a two month COVID-19 related shutdown). Morgan were instrumental in the choice of offsite timber technologies as they wanted the project to be undertaken as quickly and as safely as possible and saw prefabrication as the solution to this. As a car manufacturer they are accustomed to efficient production methods (e.g. zero-waste, just in time,
2 etc.) and very much wanted this project to adopt a similar approach on this project. The innovative offsite approach (seldom employed on refurbishment projects like this) has resulted in a significantly accelerated and de-risked construction process, delivering significant benefit for the client on a busy site which has remained operational throughout the process. The rapid assembly of the LVL frames quickly created dry workshop conditions on site, enabling trades to work safely undercover from the earliest possible opportunity. The timber structure also meant that no dangerous site welding was required, only simple bolted connections. The prefabricated timber frame and aluminium flashings meant that site waste was minimised, with the other main materials (e.g. plywood cladding, acoustic panels, polycarbonate, etc.) utilised in standard modules to reduce cutting waste. Maintenance requirements for the Morgan estate have been significantly reduced through the project. For more information visit: www.hewittstudios.co.uk www.constructionaltimber.com Images: 01-02. Consistent with a brand that prides itself on ethical sourcing, natural materials and local craftsmanship the solution had a strong focus on precision and sustainability. Courtesy Morgan Motor Company/Hewitt Studios LLP
WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020
