The Forge - NG Bailey

Project Details

Project - The Forge

Sector - Commercial

Technology - MEP & POD Technology

Company - NG Bailey

Project Overview

NG Bailey, with Landsec, Bryden Wood, and Easi-Space, led a collaborative project to develop and test automated construction on a real site, and compare efficiencies against traditional build. Through BIM we created a structural frame suitable for an office that could be manufactured offsite and assembled onsite using an automated assembly. We became involved with The Forge in December ‘19 to develop the MEP KOP, with onsite install from July ‘21.

Our offsite team developed the entire MEP distribution as a KOP, manufactured offsite and installed using a P-DfMA approach. We designed 5 Cat A MEP cassettes in various sizes, including pipework, FCUs, grilles, lighting, sprinklers, acoustic rafts, ceiling modules, and ductwork kits. The KOP provided 95% of high level install. The KOP can be emulated across Landsec’s future estate for reduced design and build periods, improved facilities management, saving costs and reducing environmental impact. Key to
maximising the benefits of offsite solutions is engagement of our experts early. On The Forge, we collaborated with the design team focusing on solutions that maximised the potential benefits of a PDfMA solution, two years prior to onsite construction.

We prototyped a standard 9m x 9m planning grid combining fabricated standardised steelwork components, reusable formwork and in-situ concrete that can be installed using an automated process. We knew if successfully scaled and deployed, The Forge would become the first in the world to be built this way. Collaboratively, we set ambitious targets for the prototype to deliver improvements compared to a traditional steel and concrete structural solution, including:

• 33% cost saving

• 25% assembly time reduction

• 40% construction productivity increase

• Improved H&S.

The results demonstrated all targets were possible; this innovation was substantially more efficient from day one. The Forge presents a flagship project for driving  innovation in construction, accelerating change in how we develop our built environment for generations to come. “The Forge is setting new industry standards for sustainable and cost-effective construction. The P-DfMA approach we have taken to design and construction will transform how offices are delivered in the future. What we learn at the capital’s most innovative construction site will shape the way we approach future projects and help change the industry for the better.” Neil Pennell, Head of  Design Innovation and Property Solutions, Landsec.

The Forge is already achieving reductions of:

•9.5% capital cost

•13% programme

•40% steel used

•50% site operatives for superstructure and facade

•24% embodied carbon

•40% carbon in the substructure and 22% in the superstructure and façade.