Liskeard Integrated Services Hub

Built upon the site which once housed Liskeard Cattle Market, this prominent town centre location has undergone significant regeneration since its closure in 2019. The Liskeard Integrated Services Hub forms a central component of the wider masterplan, enhancing the accessibility and efficiency of public services for local residents.

A broad range of council and partner services will now exist under one roof including, Children's and Family Services, Adult Day Care, Registrars, the Cornwall Council Contact Centre and the Department for Work and Pensions. By consolidating these into a single purpose-built facility, the development has vastly improved operational efficiency, enhanced collaboration between teams and reduced the Council's ongoing estate and maintenance requirements.

The project was delivered through the Southern Construction Framework, enabling Morgan Sindall Construction to engage with Cornwall Council and the wider project team at an early stage. Working in partnership with Mace Ward Williams JV, Poynton Bradbury Architects and key stakeholders, the collaborative approach helped shape the design as it evolved, ensuring the scheme was practical to construct, whilst aligning with the client's overall objectives.

The building was constructed using a steel frame with composite metal decking and in-situ concrete upper floors, supported by pad foundations and strip footings to provide a stable and resilient structure. To further reduce embodied carbon, the roof was constructed using a traditional timber cut roof system in place of more carbon-intensive alternatives.

Sustainability was central to the project and was embedded throughout the design in line with AECB CarbonLite standards, ensuring a focus on reducing both embodied and operational carbon. A Whole Life Carbon Assessment was undertaken during pre-construction to inform key design decisions and optimise long-term environmental performance.

The building also adopts a fabric-first approach, incorporating high levels of insulation, excellent airtightness, and passive design measures to maximise natural daylight and solar gain, reducing overall energy demand. This is complemented by low-carbon technologies, including air source heat pumps and roof-mounted photovoltaic panels, which help minimise operational emissions. Electric vehicle charging points and cycle storage were also provided to encourage sustainable travel and support Cornwall Council's wider carbon reduction objectives.

Alongside improving operational performance, the project team sought opportunities to reduce embodied carbon across the construction process. By challenging traditional material specifications and engineering solutions, the team identified a series of practical interventions that delivered substantial environmental benefits without compromising quality or functionality.

The use of the GAIA Automate system saved 22,479 kWh of electricity across welfare and site facilities, while more than 600 timber pallets were recycled through Pallet Loop. Scrap metal from the project was recycled through EMR Metal Recycling.

Throughout the project, the team participated in six 10T Challenge initiative, achieving carbon savings of over 256 tonnes CO₂e. This was accomplished by:

• Changing from solid beams to Westok castellated beams
• Ensuring concrete mix contained GGBS rather than CEM1 mix
• Revising steel production by opting for Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) process
• Working with GAIA to reduce carbon footprint of our welfare facilities
• Changing from traditional Forbo Safe Step Vinyl to Altro Adhesive Free Vinyl
• Collaborating with Metsec and DMS Drywall Systems to specify and deliver the Metsec Decarb SFS solution in place of standard SFS