Source Design Services has been appointed by KVF (Kier Volker Fitzpatrick) to undertake the design of the utility infrastructure at USAF Lakenheath as part of the F-35 Beddown programme.

Our client Kier-Volker Fitzpatrick joint venture (JV), has been awarded a £160million contract to deliver new infrastructure to ready RAF Lakenheath as the first permanent home in Europe of the US Air Force F-35 Fighter Jet.

The overall F35 Beddown project which forms part of a wider programme of work to support the US Air Force operations in the UK, involves construction and renovation of a number of buildings and infrastructure projects on the Suffolk site, including a six-bay flight simulator, an aircraft maintenance unit, new hangars, and 42 aircraft parking aprons.

Rob Campbell Source’s Business Director stated “this is Source’s first significant project in an aviation environment and we have found the KVF and DIO client team’s responsive to our expertise in deriving design solutions that work for the overall project, we look forward to developing these relationships throughout this design commission.”

Source Design Services scope of works on the project include:

• Identification of existing services
• Utility Surveys on site
• Disconnection design
• Derivation and presentation of Utility reports
• Diversion design for all utilities both temporary and permanent
• Design of new electrical and water /waste water infrastructure
• Construction and management of BIM model
• Integration of other design team member’s infrastructure
• Multiple presentations to client team including BIM model and design basis reports

This is BIM enabled project and part of our deliverable is an fully integrated 3D model of the below ground infrastructure incorporating not only the assets that we are designing but also completing the clash detection for other designers such as BT Federal and Drainage design completed by Aecom.

The challenges faced by Source Design Services on the scheme were the integrating the current asset base with the proposed temporary and permanent diversionary and new supply infrastructure within a much larger project, we have worked closely with all parties to ensure that the utility designs are seamlessly integrated into fabric of the project.

We are working as part of an integrated design team with Kier Volker Fitzpatrick, Aecom and HLM.