United Auctions appointed Block Nine to provide architectural and lead consultancy services for feasibility studies, developed design, Planning, Building Warrant and full technical packages for this greenfield site which adjoins their estate immediately adjacent to the A84, on the North Western outskirts of Stirling. The site was developed speculatively for a Planning Classification 4 or 5 tenant who was secured prior to the completion of the works on site.

The vacant site was located to the South end of United Auction’s grounds, however the development of 2 similar industrial units immediately to the East of the site had resulted in a significant amount of excavated spoil being evenly distributed across the extent of the site which required relocation as part of the enabling works package.

As such, a carefully considered excavation strategy was implemented with the civil engineering consultant at an early stage to ‘cut and fill’ the land, and mitigate the expense of removing material from the site.

The enabling works, gas alleviation measures for of the made up ground, restricted access / egress, and the site’s immediacy to the A class road were the salient parameters which dictated the location of the building on the site.

Once this was determined, and the brief was further developed with a secured end user, this established the scale and layout of the building and consolidated the project brief.

A solid slab construction with pad foundations was formed, with the subsequent construction of a relatively short open span steel portal frame to allow maximum flexibility of the end user’s requirements.

This facilitated their company’s current operations and allowed them to expand and adapt within the external envelope of the property as their business evolved.

The walls and roof of the superstructure were clad with composite aluminium panels with translucent module panels allowing natural light to flood into all internal spaces, minimising electrical costs of artificial lighting.

The interior ‘shop front’ of Stirling Trailer centre was flanked with cellular office accommodation to the rear, and a party wall split the length of the property to accommodate the maintenance and assembly lines of the trailers within a larger open plan and more robust industrial area.