IKEA

Two particularly challenging sites chosen to house new stores were located in Coventry and Southampton; Coventry suffered a great deal of bomb damage during WWII so Rolton Group undertook an unexploded ordnance risk analysis to find out whether the area was safe. Similarly, the proximity of the car park at the Southampton store presented considerable challenges during construction as any unexploded bombs that dropped there could have sunk anywhere between three and eight metres below the surface. Our geotechnical expertise ensured smooth and thorough investigations, and both stores went off without a hitch.

Another exemplary project was the Peterborough distribution centre, which includes a 24m-high bay warehouse with a total area of 85,100m², in addition to an office block that covers 4,500m². Rolton Group was involved in the design and development of geothermal heating system for the centre, which provides 230kW of power to warm the offices in the building in the winter and cool them in summer. Over the estimated 25-year life of the building, the system will save an estimated 40 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

We have also completed many extension projects for the brand as they continue to grow in the UK; the significant scheme in Wednesbury, for example, comprised a 2,497m² two storey, steel-framed addition to the main entrance of the existing IKEA store. Modifications of the existing entrance area were made by installing new escalators, and there was also increase in retail space with larger restaurant area.

These are but a few examples of our work with IKEA; other locations include Wembley, Bristol, Milton Keynes, Leeds, Cardiff and Dublin. We are also currently appointed to provide multi-disciplinary engineering services in the development of their new store in Reading