M40 motorway services area

We are providing structural, infrastructure and building services engineering design for a new motorway services area on the M40 at Beaconsfield. The development incudes a petrol station, an amenities building and overnight accommodation.

The site covers 6.4 hectares and is located in an environmentally sensitive area. It is surrounded by ancient woodland and near various significant structures, including a Roman road and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. In designing the infrastructure for the project, care has been taken to protect and enhance these features.

The project is intended to represent the future of motorway services: providing quality amenities and high levels of comfort, and embracing the requirements of sustainable development.

The amenity building is a two storey steel frame structure, roughly 50m by 50m in plan, with a prefabricated panellised roof that gently undulates. The first floor houses plant, storage and offices while the ground floor houses the restaurant and shops. A double-height atrium encloses the main seating/dining area. A cost-effective proprietary modular steel and concrete system has been used for the design of the hotel.

Our engineers have undertaken complex ground modelling on the site, designed sustainable drainage management systems (SUDS) that include the provision of wetlands and ponds, and designed the foul drainage system and roads and paving.