Center Parcs Woburn

In December 2004, Center Parcs announced that it had identified a location for a fifth UK site, at Warren Wood near Flitwick, Bedfordshire. Center Parcs Woburn Forest was a £250 million development, one of the largest leisure projects in the UK.

Sector

Leisure

Location

Bedfordshire

Client

ISG Plc

Value

£250m

Build System

Timber Frame

The Project

In December 2004, Center Parcs announced that it had identified a location for a fifth UK site, at Warren Wood near Flitwick, Bedfordshire. The completed Center Parcs Woburn Forest is a £250 million development, one of the largest leisure projects in the UK. The project includes the construction of accommodation, indoor and outdoor facilities, a sub-tropical swimming complex, restaurants and a spa.

The Design

Kingspan Timber Solutions was required by the main contractor, ISG plc, to produce large volumes of high-quality structures within an exacting build programme. The heavily wooded site made access difficult for lorries and cranes, so the panels were designed to be small and light enough to be handled by four men. Construction was to be closed fully insulated timber panels to address the thermal requirements. The commercial team planned an accurate delivery schedule enabling ISG to synchronise with other site suppliers. Initially 625 lodges were built, with 6 spa suites, complete with a 17,000m2 lake at the centre. Kingspan Timber Solutions built a prototype lodge at its Bedfordshire-based factory to trial the speed and efficiency and to ensure quality. The Kingspan site management team of 6 had early problems with snow and ice. However, working closely with ISG, they adapted the build sequence and overcame any issues to deliver the last plot by December 2013.