Battery Manufacturing Centre Fit-Out

The Brief 

Coventry’s UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) is a government-funded facility supporting the research, development and high-volume manufacture of advanced battery technology – initially for electric vehicle production and in time for wider industry as the UK transitions to a low-carbon economy.

The principal contractor needed an envelope partner capable of taking on technical risk early, not simply pricing a package. Stancold was engaged during the initial stages to develop and assist the design, bringing more than 75 years of temperature-controlled and passive fire construction experience to one of the most demanding envelope specifications in UK advanced manufacturing.

Our Approach

Working collaboratively with the client’s project team and our supply chain, we developed a robust ‘right-first-time’ solution to meet the onerous specification:

• ISO 8 cleanroom condition
• -73°C dew point supply and -60°C dew point return
• Temperature 21 +/-2°C
• Ambient air humidity as low as 0.5%
• 60-minute fire rating
• Static dissipative

Resolving these requirements at design stage, rather than on site, removed technical uncertainty from the contractor’s programme before installation began. It also created commercial value: by integrating ‘free-spanning’ panels in excess of 9m into the design, we eliminated the need for tonnes of secondary steel while still achieving the required fire rating.

Delivery in Action

Our specialist cleanroom installation team completed the construction of 31 assembly rooms, including:

• Anode and cathode mixing facilities
• Anode and cathode calendaring areas
• Material airlocks, personnel airlocks and changing rooms
• Pouch assembly and filling
• Linking corridors

This accommodated two main production lines running parallel throughout the building, complete with ageing ovens for the final stage.

A combination of insulated and fire-rated products was used, alongside specialist detailing to ensure the installation passed the rigorous commissioning and testing procedures that a manufacturing process of this sensitivity demands. All panel systems and ancillaries were meticulously colour-matched and finished with a 120-micron PVC laminate for seamless integration and maintenance of cleanliness throughout. Openings were carefully formed to allow machinery to pass between each area and the neighbouring link corridor.

Across a 10-month build programme, our team worked from project conception through to final handover to develop, supply and install an envelope that performs exactly as specified, supporting a new generation of high-value, high-volume UK manufacturing.