Many organisations continue to use conventional construction methods to satisfy their expansion requirements. However, certain procedures involved in the traditional build process not only impact on the environment, but can cause major disruption to business activities, employees and visitors.
Contributing factors can be the disposal of site waste, adverse weather conditions and problems associated with deliveries. A key driver in gaining a competitive edge and meeting the need for rapid expansion is the ability to quickly deliver and erect structures which can be used for a variety of purposes.
Provided they are well planned and carefully managed, temporary and semi-permanent structures can help alleviate these problems and deliver a cost-effective and sustainable solution to a multitude of expansion needs. A company at the forefront of the development of innovative structures is Accio Group, which is headquartered at RAF Alconbury near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.
Accio Group is one of Europe’s leading suppliers of temporary and semi-permanent structures and is renowned for its ability to deliver on time and on budget. A true innovator in its field, Accio Group has supplied some of Europe’s largest and most impressive structures and consistently thinks outside the box to meet a range of clients’ needs.
Since its inception in 2001, Accio Group has diversified into a number of sectors, including the armed forces, disaster recovery, education and retail. The company has worked on a number of high-profile projects for both public and private sector organisations, using its extensive experience to develop pioneering structures that deliver exceptional results, drive down costs and reduce environmental impact.
Accio Group’s mantra is that ‘nothing is too difficult’ and this can-do attitude has resulted in Accio Group successfully delivering temporary and semi-permanent structures where its competitors have failed.
Stephen Casey, Managing Director of Accio Group, said: -Temporary and semi-permanent structures offer a perfect solution to the need for cost-effective and low-maintenance buildings and ancillary services. Accio Group has worked on many projects across a number of different sectors and we use our unrivalled experience to deliver world-leading structures to a wide range of industries.
Each project has presented a unique set of challenges, but my team always overcomes these and consistently proves to be the best in the industry.
We develop pioneering new construction techniques that are continually evolving not only to meet our clients’ needs but to ensure we exceed their expectations for efficiency, quality and value enhancement.
We believe our results speak for themselves.
The UK’s leading supplier of storage and temporary structures to the MoD
Recently, the company has supplied the Ministry of Defence with temporary storage facilities for the withdrawal of weapons from Iraq and Afghanistan. At their Huntingdon headquarters, Accio Group is able to provide all the associated storage services including maintenance, climate controlled and humidified storage environments and testing facilities. This extensive facility has excellent transport links to the M11, M1 and M6 routes and the European ports of Harwich, Hull and Dover.
The expert team at Accio Group has almost 50 years’ MoD experience. This includes Stephen Casey, an ex-Army Major who enjoyed a successful 19 year career in the armed forces and a retired Lt. Colonel with 30 years’ experience in logistics management.
Accio Group has an impressive track record working in partnership with MoD suppliers and in June 2009 the company was appointed as the official temporary structure supplier to Supacat Ltd, a manufacturer of high mobility, all terrain vehicles. Supacat Ltd was recently awarded a £74 million contract by the MoD to supply combat vehicles and Accio Group has provided the company with numerous structures, including a temporary showroom for armoured vehicles at the Defence Vehicles Dynamics Show.
At the forefront of innovation and design
Temporary and semi-permanent structures benefit from significantly reduced build costs and disruption times, when compared to conventional builds and extensions. In addition, these structures offer durability, low maintenance and flexibility of use.
Through its focus on corporate social responsibility, Accio Group ensures it has a positive impact on the environment and communities it operates in. The company is committed to reducing its carbon footprint so limits unnecessary transport, sources local subcontractors wherever possible and continually develops more efficient construction techniques.
Accio Group recently designed a ground-breaking structure which is capable of being installed on most surfaces, eliminating the need for costly and time consuming groundwork. The main structure is constructed off-site and assembled once a unique leg support system has been installed. This leg support system is a European first in semi-permanent structure construction and is the main contributor to its efficiency. By removing the need for additional foundations, Accio Group can reduce build time from weeks to days, which in turn produces a significant cost saving, often running into tens of thousands of pounds.
The Olympic Dream
The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games offers an excellent opportunity for temporary and semi-permanent structures providers to develop their business and showcase the quality of their offering on a world stage. It has been estimated that up to 260,000 square metres of temporary structure space is required during the event, which will provide major opportunities for companies of all sizes in the sector.
The International Olympic Committee, keen to avoid a repeat of the Olympic ghost towns which have haunted some previous games in other countries, decided one method of tackling this problem is to scale back the provision of stadia and other buildings once the games have finished. This concept, while hugely environmentally sound, also helps to alleviate the legacy problems faced by host cities.
The use of temporary and semi-permanent structures went right to the heart of London’s bid. The main Olympic and Paralympic Games 80,000 seat venue in East London’s Olympic Park will be converted to a 25,000 seat athletics stadium, providing world-class facilities for years to come.
Solutions for education and local authorities
Providing suitable classrooms, gymnasiums, workshops and other fundamental facilities can be a problem for education establishments. In the past, the portable cabins used for these purposes were cold, unpleasant and suffered from rapid deterioration.
Accio Group has proven that modern modular temporary and semi-permanent structures can be designed to provide bright, comfortable and contemporary spaces that encourage pupils to learn.
A particularly successful project was delivered by Accio Group to the Milbourne Lodge Junior School in Esher, Surrey. The classroom was used by five and six year old pupils for 11 months and during that time there was not a single fault with the structure or ancillary services. The head teacher was so impressed with the quality of the structure she wanted to buy and use it permanently.
A further advantage of these structures is the ability to completely erect them on-site. Any access issues previously faced by an establishment no longer present a problem; this significantly reduces the disruption to both pupils and teachers.
The versatility of these structures and the scale to which they can be designed gives local authorities the flexibility to use them for a number of purposes. This includes the provision of temporary leisure facilities, office space and emergency facilities following a man-made or natural disaster. In these instances, Accio Group can install and maintain temporary accommodation, first-aid centres and weather protection to help house and treat people who have been affected by earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and acts of terrorism.
Europe’s largest temporary structure of its kind
Accio Group is renowned for the impressive structures it has installed on behalf of Sainsbury’s and Tesco. These include online shopping support structures, seasonal structures, store extensions, stores replacements, weather canopies and cafe’s.
This year, the company provided Sainsbury’s with Europe’s largest temporary structure of its kind. The 15,000 square foot retail space was used while the main store in High Wycombe underwent a rebuild as part of Sainsbury’s nationwide redevelopment programme. This project was unique as it required Accio Group to erect the structure two metres above an existing car park, involving the construction of a deck platform. The temporary store was extremely well received and in a customer satisfaction survey it was subsequently ranked in the top five out of 800 stores nationwide.
Proving its mantra that ‘nothing is too difficult’, Accio Group is currently working on a project to supply Tesco with almost 100 structures to help the retailer meet increased demand over the Christmas trading period. This involves Accio Group travelling the length and breadth of the country, installing structures from Thurso to Truro. Additionally, Accio Group will also travel to the Orkney Islands, where the company will coordinate suppliers and construct its innovative structures. This is the third year running Accio Group has supplied all the seasonal structures required by Tesco. The ability to efficiently deliver projects is one of its strengths and was a key factor in securing this year’s contract.
Solving parking issues
Transportation planning and parking congestion is an issue faced by many local authorities. Car use and effective management of parking provision is increasingly important.
Next generation modular car parking systems provide an economical and rapid solution to parking issues. Accio Group has delivered a number of these structures and is experienced in designing and installing bespoke parking solutions for both single and multi-storey situations.
The clear span and clear bay systems have the flexibility to be configured for either temporary or permanent use. This flexibility of layout allows for future expansion or rearrangement. A next generation modular car park can be configured to fit any shape of building and each installation features an integral gutter system and watertight deck surface which ensures the structure performs in all weather conditions.
Accio Group is committed to providing objective advice and its dynamic team will be happy to discuss your requirements. For further information please visit www.acciogroup.com or call 0800 389 6884.
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