All change: M-AR delivers lean green transport hub for Leeds

Specialist offsite contractor M-AR has created an environmentally-friendly terminus building for the first fully solar-powered park and ride facility in the UK.

The Stourton Park and Ride site, situated to the south of Leeds, is the third Park and Ride facility to open in the city and forms a major part of its sustainable transport strategy to reduce traffic, congestion and pollution. The site includes 45 new solar canopies, funded by The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

These cover an area the size of 18 tennis courts and generate enough electricity to power the entire site via an innovative smart energy system also housed on site. All the buses running from Stourton Park and Ride are zero-emission all electric and the site features 30 EV charging spaces, including four rapid chargers, and has overall capacity for 1,200 cars.

A key aspect of this project, which was delivered by BAM Nuttall for Leeds City Council, was the need to minimise its overall environmental impact in terms of construction, lifespan and ongoing operations.

BAM Nuttall and M-AR worked together to create an efficient offsite hybrid build solution to meet the exacting brief, while minimising the impact of the build itself. Having previously constructed the terminus buildings for both existing Park and Ride facilities in Leeds at Elland Road and Temple Green, M-AR was the obvious contractor of choice.

The completed project comprises eight modules which were manufactured offsite before being installed and finished on site. Together the modules create a fully-heated, safe and secure terminus hub building with seating and ticket machines, WCs, changing place room, a staff office, retail area and a secure ticket window. 

The modules were designed to complement the other elements of the project, which were built on site using a traditional steel frame construction to securely house the high-tech electrical equipment including the Tesla batteries needed to support the solar panels. Corten steel cladding was used on the different elements of the build to create a uniform aesthetic across the site.

The cladding will naturally oxidise over time to an attractive rust-coloured shade and so will need no future maintenance or painting, and as it’s a natural process there’s no need for any harmful paints or chemicals to treat the material – making it a more sustainable solution.

Another key part of the build was the green roof which was designed to increase biodiversity by creating a habitat for wildlife to thrive. M-AR worked with a specialist roofing contractor to determine the design details to make sure the factory-assembled modules could accommodate the green roof.

More than 11,000 trees and 9,000 shrubs were also planted around the site to create an attractive environment for people using the facilities and help minimise the overall impact of the project on the environment.

Gareth Farrier, divisional director at BAM Nuttall, says: “BAM Nuttall is proud to be involved in the extensive collaboration across Leeds City Council, businesses and local communities, delivering the first fully solar-powered park and ride in the UK at Stourton.

“The ambition to reduce congestion, improve air quality, and save carbon has been a key focus for teams leading the design and delivery of this sustainable transport hub.”

Sabby Khaira, Programme Executive, Leeds City Council, comments: “Sustainability was a key driving force behind this project, so as well as the ultimate goal of improving the air quality in Leeds, we wanted to make sure that the project was undertaken as sustainably as possible.

“It was a pleasure to deal with the M-AR team who worked collaboratively with our partners to deliver this exciting, innovative project using offsite technology to meet the sustainability criteria. In particular, we were impressed with M-AR’s delivery of the complex nature of the building with the modern passenger facilities, the solar power related infrastructure and battery housing areas.”

Ryan Geldard, operations director at M-AR, adds: “We’re a solutions provider as much as we are a manufacturer and contractor and this project demonstrates how we’re able to deliver solutions that best meet the requirements of a client’s brief.

“Here, for example, the main driving force was sustainability so our aim was to reduce the environmental impact of the modules we provided, looking at the way they’re constructed, delivered and installed as well as how they perform over time and at the end of their lifecycle.

“The Stourton Park and Ride is a key part of Leeds’ sustainable transport network and we’re proud to have played our part in making Leeds a greener city.”

The Stourton Park and Ride project has been shortlisted in the ‘Public Sector Project’ category at this year’s national RICS UK Awards.