HBC to build second rail shed: net zero design and off-site lessons for engineers
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
HBC Construction has secured a £7.2m design-and-build contract from Network Rail for a 15,000 sq ft timber-frame maintenance delivery unit at the Blast Lane depot in Sheffield, following its Barnetby MDU project in north Lincolnshire. The building is designed to be net zero in operation, incorporating heat recovery ventilation, smart lighting and controls, an enlarged rooftop solar PV array, upgraded fabric and water management systems, and is expected to save about 850 tonnes CO₂e over 20 years. A more than 25% footprint reduction, standardised structural grid and simplified form enable off-site construction, lower material use and improved operational efficiency, with completion due in 2027.
Technical Brief
- Two-stage tender route used, mirroring and refining procurement approach from the Barnetby MDU scheme.
- Internal spaces reconfigured to prioritise operational efficiency and allow future functional reorganisation without major structural alteration.
- Standardised structural grid chosen to simplify detailing, repeat components and streamline off-site prefabrication logistics.
- Simplified building form reduces junction complexity, aiding airtightness, thermal performance and construction sequencing.
- Off-site construction emphasis expected to cut on-site labour, programme risk and material wastage versus bespoke stick-build.
Our Take
Among the 522 Infrastructure stories in our coverage, relatively few quantify lifecycle carbon in the way this Network Rail Blast Lane depot scheme does, so the stated 850 t CO₂e saving over 20 years gives a rare benchmark for UK rail maintenance facilities targeting embodied and operational carbon cuts.
The 25% footprint reduction at the Sheffield maintenance delivery unit signals that Network Rail is increasingly favouring more compact, higher-intensity depots, which can ease land-take and planning risk for urban rail sites in Yorkshire and similar constrained locations.
With completion not due until 2027 and a management buyout of HBC Construction only finalising in late 2025, Henry Boot plc appears to be locking in a medium-term workstream for the newly independent contractor, which should help de-risk the transition period for both the business and Network Rail’s Barnetby MDU programme.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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