Cummins Engine Company, an American multinational manufacturing company with a distinguished architectural portfolio, appointed Bennetts Associates in 1996 to design an assembly plant for diesel-powered generator sets.

Good daylight, from windows along both sides and glazing at the apex of the roof structures, is consistent with Cummins’ wish to create a high-quality working environment, minimising the differences between production areas, team spaces and offices.

The structural grid of steel ‘trees’, placed on a 28.8m x 14.4m grid, provides flexibility in the production layout. These ‘trees’ are ground cantilevered which reduced the need for bracing during construction and achieved programme savings. Services are grouped above the steel trees, so that the main vaulted roofs are uncluttered and well lit.

The 15,000m2 project comprises 12,000m2 of factory space with three floors of associated offices at one end and a heavily serviced group of engine test cells at the other. The sloping site allows entry for personnel and visitors at the middle floor of the offices overlooking the factory interior, with trucks and service areas screened by the change in levels.

Construction began in May 1997 and was completed in April 1998.