Bespoke Vehicle Workshop Solution

Aquila Truck Centres operates across five Midlands sites and provides a complete service for vans, trucks and coaches - from sales to parts, maintenance and servicing.

The group’s flagship Tipton depot needed to be extended to expand its services, offering Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) approved space for tachograph testing for the Ministry of Transport.

Additionally, the company required a dedicated area for modifying turbocharged direct injection (TDI) vehicles and another for pre-delivery inspection.

Smart-Space took care of the entire project

Smart-Space offered the perfect solution for Aquila – to provide additional workshop space in the form of a relocatable, interim building. Smart-Space took care of the entire project from planning and design through to implementation and handover. This included preparing the ground by laying a concrete pad, obtaining necessary planning permissions and fitting concrete bollards to protect the building from moving vehicles

The Tipton site operates 24 hours a day and Smart-Space ensured that minimum disruption was caused to the running of the facility during the build, which took just three weeks.

Smart-Space provided Aquila with a 25m by 14m custom-built semi-permanent structure. The building features windows, lighting, a pedestrian entrance and roller doors for easy vehicle access. It is fitted with 40mm steel wall cladding for improved energy efficiency, and a sturdy steel roof for extra security and protection.

In addition, Smart-Space constructed an inspection pit for vehicle testing and an office for the mechanics.

Compared to other temporary buildings with PVC fabric roofs, the interim building is significantly better insulated, which creates a more comfortable and professional working environment. Unlike PVC fabric, the 40mm insulated steel roof will also help Aquila to save thousands of pounds a year in energy as it retains significantly more heat.

Aquila chose Smart-Space because of its ability to deliver the project quickly and capacity to handle the entire project from start to finish. The steel structure also proved to be a more cost-effective option than a traditional bricks and mortar building or a PVC alternative.