Unique nuclear analysis laboratory is handed over at Dounreay
The first nuclear facility of its kind to be built using modular construction has been handed over and is now undergoing active commissioning at Dounreay.
The first nuclear facility of its kind to be built using modular construction has been handed over and is now undergoing active commissioning at Dounreay.
The laboratory for the analysis of radioactive materials was constructed using a Yorkon off-site building solution from the Portakabin Group, and is one of the most complex and remote modular building projects ever undertaken in the UK.
The contract for the £9m building was awarded by DSRL to a team led by off-site manufacturer and main contractor, the Portakabin Group.
The 1,300 sq metre building was manufactured off site at the Portakabin Group production centre in York and craned into position in only 4 days to minimise disruption to operations at Dounreay.
It provides 6 laboratories to allow DSRL to comply with its statutory and environmental monitoring requirements and will remain in use for up to 25 years until the site decommissioning process has been completed. It will then be deconstructed – the building modules are inherently easy to disassemble, recycle and re-use elsewhere, making the approach highly sustainable.
Its facilities include the laboratories, offices, drench showers and boot barrier in the active area, with ancillary accommodation for offices and locker rooms in the clean area.
The Dounreay scheme has been designed in full compliance with stringent nuclear industry requirements and regulations for ionising radiation and to withstand the rigours of a highly exposed marine environment.