The new centre will be built on 6,500sqm of brownfield land in a highly constrained location, surrounded by roads, existing buildings and the River Usk. Working in partnership with Newport City Council, our Quantity Surveying team carried out a comprehensive risk assessment to safeguard delivery.

We reviewed all available pre-construction data, including a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey and statutory service drawings from National Grid. Every identified risk was documented in a clear, accessible register and shared with the client. Multiple grant funding schemes also presented considerable challenges, impacting the project’s financial management. Our experts developed a streamlined process to help simplify how this was administered.

By clearly mapping out and communicating these risks, we gave the project team full visibility of potential financial and programme impacts, enabling Newport City Council to make more informed decisions and mitigate issues ahead of construction.

From RIBA Stage 2, our specialists led a full TM54 assessment, covering energy modelling and whole‑life carbon, to guide integrated, evidence‑based decisions that shaped the structure, architecture and building services. This integrated approach has driven a 69% cut in regulated operational emissions, supports a target EPC A rating and aligns with the client’s ambition for a net-zero-ready civic building.

The structure has been engineered to be photovoltaic-enabled, providing the client with a clear pathway to integrate future solar generation in later phases and strengthen the building’s position as a fully fossil-fuel-free, net-zero-ready facility. The building services strategy also supports future connections to anticipated district heat network expansions in the area.

Air source heat pumps will allow heat to be recovered from cooling systems for heating needs, with the ability to also cool spaces. Smart, CO₂ driven demand controlled ventilation and adaptive temperature settings will ensure the building operates efficiently even as occupancy levels and electrical loads fluctuate, while maintaining a comfortable environment for visitors.

Our planning and development, landscape and ecology teams also worked closely with Newport City Council to deliver a compliant, future-focused Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) strategy. This includes the integration of a biodiverse green roof with targeted landscaping features to strengthen thermal performance, optimise water consumption and enhance ecological outcomes.

With the previous centre being demolished nearby, we saw an opportunity to turn what could have been waste into the foundation of something new, creating a circular-economy-first design.

Our specialists surveyed the existing building and identified materials that could be reused and integrated into the new facility.

The structural design also targets up to 30% recycled or reclaimed steel sections, aligned with our sustainability-led approach to material efficiency, with the potential to save around 75,090kgCO₂e. Our innovative, in-house digital steel reuse tool was used to match reclaimed stock from existing buildings to be repurposed for structural elements, bracing and decorative elements of the new building.

Additionally, we utilised a coordinated 3D model to identify opportunities for material efficiency and streamlined upgrades in the future. We refined spans, beam depths and grid spacing to cut material use, while keeping the structure robust and adaptable. The MEP design was appropriately sized to space needs to maximise part load efficiency, ensuring systems run efficiently and keep conditions stable when the building needs less heating or cooling than the system’s full capacity. This will simplify future maintenance and upgrades.

Associate Director for Building Structures, Ed Dolton currently leads our diverse multidisciplinary team, including but not limited to structural and civil engineering, fire and sustainability experts. Our specialists are working closely with Wynne Construction to see the project through to completion.