Winvic Construction Ltd, a leading main contractor specialising in turnkey solutions for industrial, build-to-rent, student accommodation and commercial projects, welcomed the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) President, Andrew Wyllie CBE, to the site SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway (SLPEMG). The visit was the final stop on a two day tour where ICE has met with key local stakeholders and members and seen how advances in digital technology and smart infrastructure is improving lives across the region.

Mark Skelton, Winvic’s Project Manager on the infrastructure phase of SLPEMG and Steve Wooler, Managing Director of BWB Consulting delivered a presentation about the 700 acre scheme to the ICE President, one of his ‘Future Leaders’ Emma Watkins, and graduate and student members of ICE. Members of the Winvic team led ICE on a tour of the project’s infrastructure elements and climbed to the roof of Plot 1’s 1.3 million sq ft warehouse; they described complex engineering methods, revealed innovative materials used and answered technical questions.

The three-year project, which is adjacent to East Midlands Airport and has direct access to J24 of the M1 in Derbyshire, comprises 6 million square feet of logistics accommodation, a 50 acre Strategic Rail Freight Interchange and road infrastructure improvements. During peak days, approximately 700 operatives from 30 different contractors were working on site.

Winvic Project Manager, Mark Skelton, said: “We were very proud to welcome ICE to the SLPEMG site for a second year and in that time so much has changed. Plot 4’s warehouse had not been started last June and it has now reached practical completion, and we have also completed the infrastructure phase that comprises 126,000m2 of new carriageway. We enjoyed discussing some of the more complex engineering challenges with Andrew Wyllie, including the one-of-a-kind – Highways England Network ‘first’ – integral, 45 degree skew bridge and Plot 1’s 200 metre long, 300 metre wide industrial warehouse. We designed and constructed this unit in a way that will allow the two-storey mezzanine structure to be removed from the building if required by the occupier in the future. We hope ICE can return again next year when the rail interchange will be receiving trains from Europe.”

The ICE President also spoke to Winvic’s staff about the partner graduate training scheme that was launched by both organisations at the end of January. It offers graduates a training programme in order to gain the specialist skills, knowledge and professional approach required to practice as a civil engineer. The ICE Training Scheme will be delivered in-house by Winvic and this leads to sitting the EngTech (MICE) Professional Review as a stepping stone to onward progression to IEng or CEng status.

Andrew Wyllie, ICE President said, “I would like to say a big thank you to the Winvic staff for welcoming me to the East Midlands Gateway Logistics Park, an impressive engineering development on a very large scale.  It was great to hear more about the recently launched ICE – Winvic training scheme and meet the graduates who are going to be the future of the industry and ICE. There has never been a better time to have a career in engineering and the enthusiasm I have seen is encouraging for the future.”

For more information on Winvic, please visit www.winvic.co.uk or follow the company on Twitter – @WinvicLtd.