Balfour Beatty has handed over the highly sustainable, low carbon Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Centre to Hethel Engineering in Norfolk following its completion.

The £5.4m centre was officially opened at an on-site ceremony last week, where Balfour Beatty was joined by the chairman of the Hethel Engineering Centre, the leaders of South Norfolk District and Norfolk County Councils and Richard Bacon, the MP for South Norfolk.

The two-storey, 40,000 square foot extension to the Hethel Engineering Centre includes the latest sustainability features, to ensure minimal impact on the environment, and contains 32 separate workshops with internal stores, as well as a dedicated plant room.

Inside the plant room is a biomass system that uses waste generated by the occupants to provide heat and power. It also manages the electricity provided by photovoltaic cells on the building's roof and the heating from air source pumps. A foul water system connects to the drainage system and feeds into the centre's own sewage treatment plant in order to reduce direct water use.

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The construction process was highly sustainable. Plasterboard, timber and metal were recycled with excavated soil which was re-used to achieve a materials recycling rate of 92%. New cycle paths provide sustainable travel options for people working and visiting the site, further lowering carbon emissions.

The original Hethel Engineering Centre was built by Balfour Beatty in 2006 and is now home to over 80 hi-tech start-up businesses. The Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Centre is the third project Balfour Beatty has delivered for Hethel Engineering, the second being an extension including 12 new units.

Simon Coward, Director of Hethel Engineering Centre, said: "Following the success of the original Hethel Engineering Centre constructed by Balfour Beatty, we were delighted to appoint them to complete our new Advanced Manufacturing Centre.

"Balfour Beatty has been instrumental to delivering a centre in the heart of rural Norfolk which has attracted more than 80 high performance and manufacturing companies supporting high quality jobs and innovation in our region."

Dean Burgess, Balfour Beatty's East Anglia Delivery Unit Managing Director, said: "We are delighted to handover this great new facility to Hethel Engineering. Using our expertise in mechanical and electrical systems we have been able to install the latest sustainability features to make this an extremely low carbon and energy efficient building.

"We are proud of our continued involvement in the centre and pleased at the opportunities our work has helped to generate for the region."

(MH/JP)