WEST ASSET RESOURCE CENTRE
The Board approved
the West Asset Resource Centre project to be developed within the SFRS
HQ/National Training Centre site at Cambuslang. (The ARC will have a separate
entrance although there will be a road linking them for access to HQ should
their access road be closed.)
SFRS Board Minutes
27/8/2020. Board Meeting Decision Log. End. (Date 30/7/2020)
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is proud to unveil a new £12 million state-of-the-art hub to support the work of Scotland's firefighters.
The Cambuslang Asset Resource Centre
(ARC) was officially opened on Friday, 17 November by Scotland’s Minister for
Victims and Community Safety, Siobhian Brown MSP.
The multi-purpose building will not only provide mechanics with a modern
workspace to maintain fire appliances but will also house SFRS staff from
various support staff departments.
The new facility is located within the SFRS national headquarters and training
centre complex, which sits adjacent to Clydesmill Community Fire Station.
Iain Morris, SFRS Head of Asset Management, said: "This is a major new
development to enhance the working conditions for our staff working across
different areas of the Service.
“The building includes a state of art workshop for our mechanics who work
tirelessly to keep fire appliances maintained to protect communities across
Scotland.
“The design and materials used in this project has created one of our most
energy efficient buildings, representing a tangible commitment to delivering
value for money.”
Scotland’s Minister for Victims and Community Safety, Siobhian Brown MSP, said:
“I welcome the opening of this state-of-the-art asset resource centre. It will
provide SFRS mechanics and support staff with the facilities they need to
continue to provide high-quality support to our fire service.
“This new facility will help keep the
all-important fleet of appliances and other specialist equipment in optimum
working condition, supporting the work of firefighters in keeping our
communities safe.”
SFRS staff have moved to the new site from locations including Hamilton in South
Lanarkshire and Cowcaddens in Glasgow.
The ARC was designed and constructed by building firm, McLaughlin & Harvey.
Robbie Clark, the firm's Operations Director, said: "We set out not only to
provide the Service with a quality finished facility, but also to bring real
benefits to the local community and economy during the build through our social
value commitments.
"After just over a year of good work by our site staff and the wider project
team, we have achieved those objectives, and it’s great to see Service staff now
moving in and using the facility. We are sure they will find it a modern and
comfortable place to work."
SFRS WEB Site News 17 November 2023
State-of-the-Art Asset Resource Centre for Scottish Fire & Rescue Service
Following the completion of an initial
Options Appraisal Study via Hub South-West, Keppie were appointed in 2020 to
carry out the design and delivery of the West Asset Resource Centre – a new
state-of-the-art Asset Resource Centre for the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service
adjacent to the existing SFRS Headquarters and training facilities in Cambuslang
on the outskirts of Glasgow. This new facility provides a centre to service the
fleet and emergency vehicles, as well as providing office, storage, and staff
welfare facilities.
The appearance of the facility is that of a large shed, befitting its use as a
predominately industrial building. A simple palette of external materials is
used – corrugated black wall cladding with dark grey flashings, window frames
and personnel doors, supplemented by a standing seam roof. A parapet around the
roof keeps the 4 degree pitch hidden from view and maintains the simple massing
and rectilinear proportions of the building externally. The vehicle doors,
coloured red, are provided to every vehicle bay, which, along with a one-way
traffic management system, enables day-to-day operations to run as smoothly as
possible. The colour and style of these doors immediately makes apparent the
building’s use as a facility for the fire service – an important consideration
from early on in the design process.
Internally, the building is split into 2 zones, separated by a compartment wall
which spans the full width of the building. Each zone has a differing thermal
requirement to reflect the different type of work being carried out within; the
west part of the building, split into two storeys, comprises a reception area,
office space, meeting rooms and an extensive storage space across both levels,
supplemented by staff welfare, canteen and changing facilities. To the east side
of the building is the vehicle maintenance workshop along with plant and service
spaces. The workshop provides a total of 16 vehicle service bays, with a change
in roof height towards the east side of the building enabling the internal
height to increase from 7.5m up to 10m above six of the bays, which allows for
the servicing of the very largest vehicles within the fleet.
Key to the design and delivery of the project was the co-ordination not only of
architectural, structural, mechanical and electrical disciplines, but also the
integration of specialist vehicle ramps and maintenance equipment within the
vehicle workshop. There has also been a requirement to ensure 120 minute fire
compartmentation around the storage and vehicle workshop areas, due to the type
of materials being stored and work being undertaken in these spaces. Close
co-ordination with the Client, Fire Engineer and Garage Equipment specialist
throughout has therefore been integral to the project.
(Keppie Design WEB Site.)
Prior to the opening of the West ARC vehicles workshops were based in the Cowcaddens complex along with the ladder repair workshops and communications department. (Prior to this ladder repair workshops were based at the rear of Hamilton Fire Station in the south west corner.) The stores were in what used to be Hamilton workshops a long time ago, at the rear of Hamilton Fire Station.