CHIEF EXECUTIVE SIGNS OFF FIRST ABOVE-GROUND CONSTRUCTION AT EXTENSION TO HOME OF ROLLS-ROYCE – AutoMart Canada

• Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive, signs first steel column
  erected on new extension site
• Marks the beginning of above-ground construction on £300 million project
• First of 437 columns forming the ‘skeleton’ of the new 40,000m² building
• Structure due for completion within the next nine months
• Extension is the largest single investment in the Home of
  Rolls-Royce since 2003

 

“Today’s signing ceremony is an important symbolic moment for this
landmark project. We wanted to formally mark the start of
construction on the main building, which is so central to our
future, and to the enormous economic contribution Rolls-Royce Motor
Cars makes to the local, regional and national economies. The work
will continue at pace, with a target to complete the structure
within the next nine months; we can then move on to fitting-out and
installing the new equipment and facilities we need to support our
rapidly growing Bespoke activities, complex Coachbuild commissions
and growing portfolio of battery-electric motor cars.”

Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive of Rolls-Royce
Motor Cars, marked the official start of above-ground construction of
the new main building by signing the first steel column erected on the
company’s extension site at Goodwood.

The signed steel column is the first of 437 that, together with
beams and other supporting members, will form the internal framework
of the new 40,000 square-metre (430,500 sq ft) facility. The columns
vary in size according to their location and function, but typically
stand 12-13m (c. 40 feet) high. They will be lifted in by crane,
guided into position by staff on the ground and securely bolted to the
concrete foundation pads which were cast on the site earlier this year.

Adopting the same pattern used for the foundation pads,
Rolls-Royce’s technical construction & engineering partner is
placing the first columns on the site’s northern elevation, then
gradually working their way southwards.

The finished framework will be clad with sustainable materials,
carefully selected for their longevity, low environmental impact,
aesthetic value and ability to blend in with the surrounding
landscape. Like the existing manufacturing plant, the new building
will have a living roof, providing an important new habitat for birds
and insects; it will also generate its own renewable energy, using
air-source heat pumps for low-level heating and a bio-solar roof to
produce electricity.

Once complete, the building will house a new Exterior Surface
Finish Centre (paint shop) together with a range of new equipment and
dedicated areas for Bespoke and Coachbuild commissions, as well as
production of the marque’s new generation of battery-electric motor cars.

The Chief Executive’s personal signature of approval on the work
recalls the practice on the marque’s assembly line, whereby individual
elements such as doors and chassis components were signed off with a
chinagraph pencil by a supervisor before progressing to the next stage
of assembly. This practice was also followed by Sir Henry Royce
himself, who personally inspected and signed off every design produced
by his team.

The columns represent the first permanent above-ground elements
of the new building. The site is already home to a group of temporary
offices, known as the Construction Hub, which acts as the central
headquarters for the Site Strategy team and independent contractors
working together on the extension project.

At £300 million, the new extension represents the largest single
investment in the Home of Rolls-Royce since it opened in 2003. It will
help safeguard thousands of jobs and boost Rolls‑Royce’s contribution
to the UK economy, which currently stands at over £500 million annually.