15 July 2009

Building work on Ordnance Survey’s new head office is well underway

Drivers using the M271 to and from Southampton will notice that work is well underway on Ordnance Survey’s new head office building

Construction commenced in April and during the first few weeks of the build at Adanac Park, contractor Kier set up site and stabilised the ground over the gravel extraction area. The new building is being built on deep piles, so passers-by may have seen giant drills on site, boring down at least 16–17 metres through the ground into the sandstone below.

Alongside Kier, the landowners of Adanac Park, the Barker Mills Estate, have got their own contractors building the new access road, traffic islands and the main infrastructure that will serve the whole site which will include development for other commercial premises on the 74 acre site.

Ordnance Survey Director General and Chief Executive, Vanessa Lawrence CB said:

“It is very exciting to see our plans becoming a reality and to see Adanac Park developing so quickly. It is fantastic to see our new flagship head office building beginning to emerge. Everyone at Ordnance Survey is looking forward to the move to a new environment fit for a 21^st century digital business.”

During July the contractors will be constructing the reinforced concrete frame to form the new offices. Two tower cranes have already arrived on site ready to begin erecting the steel framework for sections of the development. Once the contractors start the steel and concrete framework they will continue floor by floor, working their way up the building. This means if all goes to plan the roof is likely to go on near the end of this year.

Work has also begun on the ground-source energy area of the site where there will be one hundred boreholes almost 100m deep which will be connected up to heat pumps. This energy saving technology will provide the majority of the heating and cooling for the main building.

In addition, the car parking areas of the site are likely to be laid out soon as the space will be useful to the contractors when taking deliveries of construction materials. It is expected that there could be around 200 people working on the site at peak times.

Ordnance Survey’s staff are expected to move into the completed building in winter 2010.

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Senior Communications & PR Officer - Melanie Osborne

Email: melanie.osborne@ordnancesurvey.co.uk

Phone: (+44) 023 8005 5062

Senior Communications & PR Officer - Paul Beauchamp

Email: paul.beauchamp@ordnancesurvey.co.uk

Phone: (+44) 023 8005 5564

Press Office fax: (+44) 023 8005 6156