WORK on a new advice centre in Gateshead is motoring ahead following the arrival of 52 recycled shipping containers that will form the shell of the sustainable building.
Gateshead Advice Centre, which operates the Citizens Advice Bureau and Community Legal Advice Centre, is due to move into the new £1.7m development in the summer to help it tackle an ever increasing caseload.
The new building, which will provide 10,000sq ft of office space, is being constructed by Gateshead- based Koru Property Services on the site of the Old Barley Mow pub on Swan Street, with the design of the structure previously completed by Koru’s in house architect Ian Scott.
Phase two of the project is already in the design phase and will provide extra facilities and resources for local organisations and new enterprises.
There are also plans to create a roof garden, with developers hoping to secure planning permission for phase two soon in order to begin work immediately after the completion of phase one.
The use of shipping containers is a practice well used in other countries such as Australia, USA and even Ukraine, but is relatively new to the UK.
As well as being a way to dispose of the old containers in an environmentally friendly way, the use of the containers brings a number of other benefits to the building process.
GVA is the project manager for the scheme on behalf of the advice centre. Mark Taylor, joint director of Koru, said: “Shipping containers are an ideal building material as they are strong and can resist the environment long term.
“They are a standard size which makes connecting them straight forward, and the steel conducts the heat well, keeping heat inside the building and reducing CO2 emissions.
“The main shell of the CAB office will be constructed from ships containers, which are cost effective, environmentally friendly and allow the main structure to be built quickly. “The container shell is then clad to ensure it is attractive on the exterior.”
Over the past year, the advice centre on Regents Terrace has assisted Gateshead residents with over 34,000 issues and in the process, their clients have gained over £26m. The new office will enable the operation to extend its services and assist even more people at a time when advice is needed more than ever.
Dennis Healey, enterprise and fundraising manager for the Gateshead Advice Centre, said: “The accessible design will ensure clients with mobility difficulties can reach us easily and the flexible internal arrangements will allow us to offer additional services and facilities.”