Rapid Prototype Facility BuildingIn The Defence Sector

The project involved the development and management of detailed engineering deliverables, supported by structured project execution processes including design reviews, hazard studies, vendor coordination, and stakeholder engagement. Booth Welsh facilitated regular technical workshops and review sessions to maintain alignment on project objectives, programme milestones, and site-specific requirements.

By challenging the initial footprint early in the FEED stage, our process engineering team identified a fundamental constraint: the proposed building envelope could not safely accommodate the required equipment while also providing the operational clearances, wall build-up, and structural detailing necessary to contain the specified blast waves.

In response, our multi-disciplinary engineering team translated the hazard and blast performance requirements into practical layout and building design parameters. Working closely with our client and blast specialists, we produced a reconfigured concept design to ensure compliance with safety standards while maintaining
operability and maintainability. The design housed various equipment such as flow reactor systems, HVAC systems, analytical laboratories and a standalone control room.

This early intervention eliminated the risk of late-stage redesign or procurement of unsuitable equipment, reducing both programme uncertainty and cost exposure, and providing the client with a robust, safety-led concept ready to progress into enquiry and detailed design.

Booth Welsh delivered a fully integrated, multi-disciplinary scope to transform the concept into a complete, construction-ready design for the rapid prototyping facility. Detailed engineering was undertaken across process, functional safety, electrical, control and instrumentation, mechanical, and civil, structural and architectural (CSA) disciplines, ensuring that all elements were fully coordinated and aligned with both operational needs and stringent safety requirements.

From an electrical and control perspective, the design encompassed the full power distribution network, including incoming supplies, panel boards, containment systems, lighting, incorporating hazardous area compliance, and earthing. The control and instrumentation scope integrated critical safety and operational systems such as interlocks, gas detection, fire alarms, access control, and communications infrastructure. While the CCTV system was designed by a specialist third-party contractor, Booth Welsh retained responsibility for overall system integration, ensuring seamless alignment within the wider control architecture.

Mechanically, the team defined the HVAC and local exhaust ventilation (LEV) design intent and performance specifications, collaborating closely with specialist contractors to develop detailed solutions. These systems were engineered to maintain appropriate environmental conditions, manage pressure regimes, and enable the safe extraction of hazardous fumes from laboratory and blast cell environments. The fire protection system for the building was developed through close collaboration with a specialist contractor to effectively manage fire risk. The final design incorporated a fully integrated sprinkler system, with Booth Welsh responsible for the design and coordination of associated pipework routing and the positioning of ancillary equipment.

In parallel, Booth Welsh played a central role in the CSA design, which underpinned the building fabric. This included design of a heavily reinforced concrete structure, along with foundations, drainage, and the overall building layout. The team also coordinated cladding, roofing, and key structural components delivered by specialist subcontractors delivering a robust, blast-resistant facility envelope, purpose-built to support high-hazard operations and aligned with the safety-driven principles established during FEED stage.