A New Gatehouse for Tata Steel

Tata Steel's site in Hartlepool has three pipe and tube mills and employs more than 700 people.

The steelworks had an existing brick gatehouse and weighbridge office that had been in service for many years and no longer met the needs of visitors, drivers or security staff.

Craig Cutts, Mechanical Site Services Engineer at Tata Steel, contacted us to discuss the project. Members of Glasdon's dedicated modular buildings team carried out a free, no-obligation site survey and identified that the Beacon™ Modular Building System was perfect for Tata's requirements.

Beacon Buildings offer the ultimate in user comfort. The Beacon System can be specified in a wide range of building sizes, and multiple units can be linked together for larger projects. The panels are made from Glassfibre-reinforced Polyester (GRP) and have a high level of insulation - perfect for Tata Steel's facility, where security staff would keep the building in use around the clock.

Tata's Beacon Building was customised to their exact requirements:

• The security office needed a visitor induction area with disabled access and an independent, linked disabled W.C. facility.
• Kitchen and W.C. facilities were incorporated to allow the gatehouse to remain manned at all times.
• Tata Steel opted for anti-sun solar control double glazing to reduce glare.
• The building was fitted with an air conditioning system to maintain comfortable working conditions all year round.
• Tata Steel's Beacon had dual-height counters installed to provide a signing-in area at standing height for visitors and seated height for staff.
• Because Beacon Buildings can be specified in any BS 4800 or RAL colour for the walls and powder-coated framework, the finished product co-ordinated perfectly with Tata Steel's corporate colour scheme.
• Data, power and fire alarm cables were installed in 3-compartment trunking to keep cable management neat and tidy and allow for future modification.
• The roof perimeter fascia was fitted for external LED signage that can be reprogrammed as required.

Glasdon's support team worked closely with Tata Steel throughout the project, arranging a completion date that fell during a scheduled site shutdown period so that delivery and installation caused minimal disruption to the facility.

Craig Cutts, Mechanical Site Services Engineer for Tata Steel, said: "The new Beacon gatehouse is exactly what we needed to replace our previous building. It provides a comfortable, efficient working environment for our staff and creates an excellent first impression for our visitors.

"Glasdon offered a knowledgeable and friendly service from the initial design stages right through to delivery.

"We would be happy to contact them for other similar projects in the future."