The new Hendon Driving Academy provides driver and investigative training for a wide variety of vehicles ranging from cars, motorbikes, mini buses, lorries to heavy goods vehicles (HGV). It includes classrooms with permanent training equipment in place, supplementary lockers to the main complex, changing facilities for approximately 120-160 staff and students daily, office accommodation, covered vehicle storage/inspection, workshop areas and fuel storage. There is also a requirement for a large yard area for use in various types of vehicle training maneuvers including HGV, hostile evasion techniques and slow speed “escort” motorbike training (the 175m “wobble road”).
The construction of the building itself comprises a light-weight single storey steel frame with insulated prefinished clad exterior. Front facing elevations are finished with a brick slip to match the local vernacular. Internal fit-out consists of drywall construction, suspended ceilings and full MEP systems. Substantial external works, including security fencing, soft and hard landscaping and tarmac vehicle training and testing areas surround the building.
The Challenge
The existing Met Driving Academy facilities located at Hendon are life expired and no longer fit for purpose. The old building is of poor condition and quality, with significant maintenance issues. Refurbishment to current standards and decant of training during construction proved to be uneconomic.
The Metropolitan Police Service appointed Mace via the SCF to deliver their new driving academy, the project represents a significant investment as part of the Met’s Estate Transformation Programme. The project was a follow on to the new training college which Mace successfully delivered in 2016.
