The load weighed 8t

Using a 100t-capacity Select mobile crane, KBSE’s engineers also lifted an assortment of other hefty items, including an air-handling unit, chiller, riser housings, extractor fans and duct attenuators. The whole operation took just a morning to complete, thanks to careful co-ordination of shipments from as far away as southern France, ready for the Big Lift.

Measuring 10 metres long by 2.8 metres wide and 2.5 metres high, the ready-to-go plantroom was built at workshops in Brill, Buckinghamshire, as part of a £1 million M&E services programme KBSE is carrying out on behalf of long-standing client Slough Estates. The 20,000 sq ft building, equipped with full M&E and air-conditioning services, will be ready for occupation by Agilent Technologies this summer.

Ray Manning, managing director of Kier Building Services Engineers, said: “We have opted for factory-made plantrooms on several projects now, as they are quicker, less weather-dependent and safer than using conventional site building methods. As well as reducing programme time on site, they are fully tested for quality assurance before delivery.”

A member of the Support Services Division of the Kier Group, Kier Building Services Engineers is a specialist engineering company offering design, project management, installation, commissioning and maintenance for all mechanical & electrical building services. The Basingstoke-based company won the Building Services Awards M & E Contractor of the Year award for 2006.