Amey digs a pond

UKHO was delighted – Amey met the spec, save money and improved the landscape.

Amey Secure Infrastructure has a three-year year facilities management contract with the UK Hydrographic Office to provide cleaning, mechanical & electrical, and grounds maintenance services across the UKHO estate.

The client asked Amey to quote for a specialist project to provide the building with a water tank for use by the fire service in case of an emergency. When quotes came back higher than expected, the thinking went lateral and a specification for a pond was produced instead.

The client asked for a natural looking pond with the ability to hold a minimum 45 m³ of water – the end product holds 122 m³. The specification also defined the need for filtration and the inclusion of native plants, plus an access chamber for the Fire & Rescue Service to pump from. 

In addition, UKHO wanted to include aesthetic elements such as walkways and seating areas.

The new solution not only saved £100,000 on the original water tank brief, it looks better (subjectively) and is more ecological.

Amey Secure Infrastructure operations director Ian Warren said: “As a service provider to the public sector we are always looking for ways to save money for our clients. But we also have a big part to play in making sure that public estates are future focus and supporting a wider environmental agenda. The installation of this specialist pond has not only solved a problem for the client, put also created a welcoming habitat for local wildlife – and an area of tranquillity for employees to enjoy.”

UKHO head of facilities management Rick Hodge added: “We are delighted with the solution Amey has provided. It not only exceeds our needs in terms of previous conventional emergency tank water capacity but enhances the site environmentally. The pond will become a haven for wildlife, be a place of rest for staff and visitors to enjoy, while remaining a valuable asset, as a back up to our on-site hydrant network firefighting system.”

Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk