Harrison Pitt Architects chosen for Victrex contract

Lancaster-based architecture practice Harrison Pitt Architects has been appointed by a global manufacturing business to design new facilities at its Lancashire HQ.

Victrex, which is based in Thornton-Cleveleys and manufactures high-performance polymers for markets around the world, has appointed the practice to help create a new engineering store.

The 730 square metre warehouse will boost storage space by a third, housing engineering parts to be used across the Victrex site. It will include a lay down area to allow staff to sort deliveries before they are stored away, racking space for 1,000 pallets and over 1,600 hand pick shelves.

This additional storage will allow Victrex to refit an existing warehouse as a testing facility, a project which is also being overseen by Harrison Pitt. Warden Construction Ltd will build the new storage facility and the project is expected to be complete by September 2015.

Richard Parker, a director at Harrison Pitt Architects, said: “To be entrusted to work on projects for such an important global business is a great boost for us and shows the expertise we’ve developed in the manufacturing sector. We are working on a number of projects aimed at helping manufacturers increase capacity and meet their growth plans as the economy strengthens.”

The latest scheme is the fifth project Harrison Pitt Architects has worked on for Victrex, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange with market value of around £2billion.

The practice designed a new workshop and amenities building and a state-of-the-art control centre for the firm last year. It also designed the Victrex Technology Centre HQ building which was completed in 2012.

Victrex serves five key markets, Aerospace, Automotive, Energy/Industrial, Electronics and Medical, with the company’s thermoplastic polymers going into products and applications that millions of people rely on every day, from smartphones, aeroplanes and cars, to oil and gas operations and medical devices. As well as its corporate headquarters in Lancashire, Victrex has sales and distribution centres across the world, including sites in Europe, the USA, India and the Far East. Victrex serves over 30 countries and has more than 650 employees worldwide.