Winvic and IM Properties launch Sustainability Hub

Following the launch of the on-site ‘Future of Construction’ Training Centre at Mercia Park, Winvic Construction and its client, IM Properties have unveiled a Sustainability and Innovation Hub (SIH) at the same Leicestershire site.

The Hub comprises three zones – Sustainability, Innovation and Learning – which provide areas to showcase Mercia Park’s sustainability credentials, demonstrate Winvic’s digital advancements, train Winvic’s staff and supply chain more creatively than ever and inspire young people through educational visits.

Its proximity to the training centre also means both facilities can be used for linked activities. One key feature of the SIH is a 360-degree BIM CAVE area, which will aid the BIM design process in a real-time scenario by facilitating design team meetings and workshops and help develop VR imagery for health and safety training.

Unlike the BIM CAVE located at Winvic’s Centre for Innovative Construction, it is a 360-degree resource where VR 3D design models can be viewed as an immersive room experience, without a headset.

David Smith, Planning Director for IM Properties, said: "It has been an incredibly difficult period in which to mobilise these activities, however our creative thinking, partnership approach, persistence and passion to maximise the employment and skills outcomes associated with the project, is beginning to yield some very positive outcomes."

Winvic’s Technical Director Tim Reeve said Mercia Park’s green and digital credentials make it the ideal location for the facility.

"It’s not only an operational digital design centre for Winvic, IM Properties, consultants and suppliers to utilise, but it also showcases the scheme and our team’s innovative initiatives and acts as an education and training centre for young people in the community," he said. 

The Leader of North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC), Richard Blunt, Deputy Leader, Richard Ashman, and Chief Executive, Bev Smith, visited the site to see first-hand the progress of the 238-acre employment park, and experience some of the training taking place as part of the scheme’s employment and skills commitments.

The visit included the civils and infrastructure works that Winvic has delivered, the recently handed-over 550,000 sq ft facility for DSV and the progress of Jaguar Land Rover’s 2.94 million sq ft global parts logistics centre, as well as Winvic and IM Properties’ commitment to sustainability and innovation that has culminated in the opening of the first satellite SIH.

Members of Winvic’s supply chain have partnered with the main contractor to bring the SIH to life, while IMP has provided the land. Carter Accommodation has supplied the cabins, Bespoke Construction the internal partitions and glazing; the PV and battery storage has been provided by Ivegate and the interactive screens by Walter Miles Electrical, while A & L Block Paving has undertaken all works to the external areas. Winvic has also sourced all the internal and external wall graphics and signage for the Hub through local social enterprise Nuneaton Signs.

The SIH also contains an interactive meeting room, training and learning space and an area with a 3D printer. Visitors, such as school, college and university students, can also get hands on with Winvic’s digital Operation and Maintenance Manuals, whereby they can access sections of a design manual, maintenance guidance or 360-degree photos by using QR codes, in the same way end-users can within their finished building.

News updates

• Caterpillar is establishing the new leadership position of Chief Sustainability & Strategy Officer, reporting directly to the Chairman & CEO. Julie Lagacy, current Vice President of the Enterprise Strategy Division, will assume the position from November 1.
• DigiPlex, the Nordic leader for scalable, sustainable and secure data centers, has published its fourth sustainability report for 2020.  
• Stanley Black & Decker and specialty materials provider Eastman are teaming up to advance  sustainability in the power tools industry. BLACK+DECKER will be releasing a new product line, reviva, offering the brand's first sustainability-led power tools that utilise Eastman's Tritan Renew copolyester. With 50% certified recycled content in the enclosures, the BLACK+DECKER reviva line will launch in early 2022. 

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