Everton have announced that a new industry-leading welfare facility has opened on their new stadium site at Bramley-Moore Dock.
Work is progressing at a strong pace at the waterfront as the Blues are set to round off their first year of construction next month, with a huge transformation already visible. Areas of the concrete superstructure are beginning to rise above the filled dock, with steelwork now being placed along the north side in the next phase of exciting progress.
And as the build gathers pace, Laing O'Rourke have opened a four-storey accommodation block on the site to cater for the increased amount of workers. This is part of a two-stage approach - with canteen facilities, toilets and showers, an exercise area and contemplation and wellbeing spaces for workers during down time all included.
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Chris Spragg, project leader for Laing O’Rourke, told evertonfc.com : "There is a staged approach to the welfare to meet the demands of the forecasts for staff.
"The numbers have steadily grown up to this point and phase one saw us successfully transition to the new building on Monday of this week. The new welfare complex is an industry-leading facility that is now fully operational and will accommodate all the staff between now and Christmas.
"It includes an immersive space for inductions and planning workshops and a contemplation and wellbeing space, which includes some area for exercise and a quiet area to have some time to relax and get away from it all. There’s also a balcony with a viewing gallery and a boardroom with full-height glazing, to offer our staff, the client and any stakeholders visiting the site the best view of the project."
Stadium development on the site is due to hit its peak in 2023, and Laing O'Rourke have worked closely with in-house company 'Select' to make sure a plan is in place for even more developments in this sense in the future.
Spragg added: “When we move towards Christmas we’ll bring online phase two. That will see the office space expand again to meet the demands of the job when it’s at peak capacity, towards the end of 2023 and when we’re into the fit-out phase.
"At that point, it will accommodate up to 200 management and sub-contractor staff and double the workforce, up to 1,200-strong, including all the trades-people. Modular buildings for temporary accommodation are very common.
"But we’ve worked with Select to design the leanest and most efficient complex to meet the demands of the project. We are also working with Liverpool John Moores University, through a knowledge transfer partnership (KTP) to reduce our carbon footprint and the effect on the environment."
