Upgrade works complete at National Records Centre in York
31 January 2022
Currie & Brown acted as project manager, quantity surveyor, employer’s agent and principal designer on upgrade works to Network Rail’s specialist archive facility.
The National Records Centre comprises an archive of Network Rail’s historic documentation, including drawings and artefacts relating to the development of significant structures and innovation on the railway from the 19th century to the present day.
The project was to convert an onsite warehouse to a storage facility, including installation of a new digital mobile racking system with capacity to store 36,000 archive boxes. Records currently stored offsite will be transferred to Network Rail’s main storage facility. Delivery, appraisal and quarantine zones were included in the design, with upgrades to the mechanical and electrical system improving climate control.
Network Rail provided in-house architectural and engineering design, with Overbury acting as main contractor and Harley Haddow providing mechanical and electrical design.
Commenting on the works, Simon Offredy, director in Currie & Brown’s infrastructure team, said: “The housing of important documentation must be addressed carefully to ensure temperature, humidity and light are optimum for care and preservation. We are pleased to have been able to support Network Rail with the necessary upgrade works at the National Records Centre to support them in bringing more documentation in house.”
Karen Bignell, project manager for Network Rail, added: “Through careful pre-construction planning and co-ordination, Currie & Brown assisted greatly with overall project delivery to produce a facility that is fit for purpose and will house Network Rail’s documentation for years to come”.