A new era in the creation of contemporary, modular business space is coming to Kingmoor Park Enterprise Zone in a development that will be a first for Cumbria and one of the first of its kind in the Northwest.
Planning permission is about to be submitted by Kingmoor Park Properties Ltd to create an 18,000sqft business village out of recycled shipping containers. The new development will be called “ModVillage” with a reference to modular and in recognition of Kingmoor Park’s MOD history.
The initial phase, which has been architecturally designed by Revolution Architecture part of the Prospus Group, will consist of 24 offices and a café.
Galloway Modular Construction (GMC), based in Newton Stewart, will convert and supply the containers. GMC specialise in creating contemporary offices, retail units, and luxury holiday accommodation.
It is hoped that the new development will create a vibrant space for local businesses to grow, and flexible lease terms and additional support should see tenants flourish. Indoor and outdoor communal areas will create great spaces for collaboration, with on-site parking and great transport links an additional bonus.
Commenting Neil McIntyre, Kingmoor Park’s Managing Director said: “There are similar projects springing up throughout the UK in Swansea, Newcastle, Tyneside, Cornwall and Bristol creating business hubs out of these incredibly versatile, weatherproof containers. Whilst the initial phase at Kingmoor Park will focus on office space, we will be looking to expand in the future offering a made-to-measure service for upcoming phases that could present opportunities for other uses such as cafés, hairdressers, and even accommodation.”
Meanwhile, Alistair Fell, Director of Prospus Group said: “We are excited at the prospect of working with Kingmoor Park Properties and GMC to provide Cumbria with its first shipping container business village within the Kingmoor Park Enterprise Zone. Similar projects in the UK are playing a vital part in providing unique, economical, and environmentally friendly business space for companies regardless of their size and are also contributing significantly to the regeneration of urban areas, creating hubs for like-minded entrepreneurs and creatives whilst providing hundreds of jobs for communities”.
The containers are made from Corten Steel, which possesses excellent weathering resistance. This advantage is due to the formation of a protective oxide coating, which seals the surface against further corrosion. If chipped or damaged the coating repairs itself to give continuity of protection and appearance.
They can be remodelled to a bespoke specification with external cladding, windows, doors, insulation, and internal fit out. They can be extended simply by bolting on another container and can be easily transported. The containers are also incredibly strong – each one can carry 30 tonnes of cargo and be stacked six high fully loaded with the bottom container supporting a weight of 150 tonnes.
The conversion process involves cutting out new door and window openings. Enabling highly efficient double-glazed units to then be installed. A closed cell spray foam insulation is applied to the inside. This insulation is extremely effective and also creates an airtight barrier, which stops condensation forming. The internal skin of the finished product is built with plasterboard and highly efficient LED lighting is added. The combination of the insulation and solar gain from large glazed areas make the containers very energy efficient and cheap to run.
Luke Mazs, Director of GMC comments: “This is an excellent example of repurposing, adapting redundant shipping containers for an entirely different use thereby avoiding the need for a massive surplus of these units going to landfill. It is an exciting concept that is gaining interest and support on a daily basis. I created GMC in 2018 and I am already looking to expand into larger premises to enable me to cope with demand”
It is hoped that the first containers will be on site in early summer 2019 and businesses interested in moving into this exciting new business community for Carlisle are encouraged to get in touch to discuss the offices in more detail.
