The Strand – Foundations, Utilities & External Works Design
Sector
Pharmaceutical
Location
Macclesfield, UK
Services
Civil Engineering & Infrastructure
Completion
February, 2026
OVERVIEW
The Strand project involved the civil and structural design of a four-storey modular Portakabin facility, including the design of a reinforced concrete raft foundation, underground utilities infrastructure, and associated external works.
The scheme was delivered within a highly constrained brownfield site environment and required the integration of new infrastructure around numerous existing buried structures and services.
The foundation solution was developed to safely support modular building loads of up to 740kN while accommodating significant existing site constraints.
THE CHALLENGE
Late access to site significantly compressed the available design programme and required the foundation solution to be developed and coordinated within a short timeframe.
During site clearance, extensive existing piled foundations and reinforced concrete slabs were uncovered beneath approximately two-thirds of the proposed building footprint.
Due to programme and budgetary constraints, the decision was made to retain the existing piled structures rather than remove them, creating concern around differential settlement between the rigid piled areas and adjacent ground-supported sections of the new foundation.
The constrained site also presented major coordination challenges for utilities, external works, compliant access ramps, drainage infrastructure, and achieving planning requirements for surface water attenuation within a limited footprint.
OUR SOLUTION
A reinforced concrete raft foundation solution was developed and analysed using a detailed STAAD structural model to assess slab behaviour, ground bearing pressures, and differential settlement effects across both piled and non-piled areas of the site.
The raft arrangement allowed building loads to be distributed more evenly while minimising settlement risk and avoiding the need for extensive demolition works to the existing buried structures.
The external works design was carefully coordinated to accommodate the raised slab formation level, including the integration of compliant ramps, steps, drainage layouts, and utility routes within the constrained site geometry.
The final solution provided a practical and cost-effective foundation and infrastructure design that enabled the successful delivery of the modular building installation.
KEY DELIVERABLES
Reinforced concrete raft foundation design
STAAD structural modelling and settlement analysis
Differential settlement mitigation strategy
Utilities coordination within constrained site environment
External works and finished level design
Compliant access ramps and stepped access arrangements
Surface water drainage and attenuation strategy
Civil and structural coordination for modular building installation
