Approach

From RIBA Stage 0 to RIBA Stage 7, you’ll benefit from collaborative workshops with Merit’s experienced engineers and designers to refine a design that meets your operational needs.

We use a parallel processing approach, so once architecture and 1:200 detailed floor plans are approved, all designs—controls, mechanical, electrical, and structural—proceed simultaneously, eliminating delays and speeding up your project.

With 4D BIM technology, we convert schematic designs into a 3D model, ensuring manufacturability before production begins.

This advanced modelling allows for personalisation, enabling you to achieve the ideal height, shape, and layout for your build. Additionally, we work closely with an embedded civil and structural design team to integrate specialised expertise when needed.

Merit's 24,500m² (264,000 ft²) factory in Cramlington, Northumberland, is one of Europe's largest state-of-the-art smart manufacturing facilities.

Up to 88% of your project can be produced in our advanced and automated factories. This means a streamlined building process, minimal onsite disruption and fewer delays due to weather or site conditions. It also helps us to optimise resources, reduce costs, enhance sustainability, minimise environmental impact, cut waste and lower onsite accident risks.

This focus on maximising offsite manufacturing results in fewer emissions, and by starting production early, we can quickly detect and resolve issues before they impact your site. This approach reduces risks and ensures your build progresses smoothly.

Our build-onsite process for modular solutions combines efficiency with advanced technology to ensure precision and sustainability. We utilise advanced robotics like 3D Cloud Point Scanning to acquire the precise data points of your roof, and our Automated Marking-Out Robot uses this data to accurately mark positions, significantly reducing the margin for error.

With our unique process, no time is wasted – internal and external work start simultaneously, accelerating your build from day one.

This approach, alongside our offsite manufacturing, not only eliminates the use of fossil fuels from our buildings but also minimises the carbon footprint associated with travel and material logistics. Our efficient methods allow us to complete builds in a third of the time compared to traditional methods, delivering high-quality, sustainable structures swiftly and accurately.

Our validation process guarantees the highest standards of quality. Our embedded validation team works closely with design and manufacturing to provide continuous feedback, design reviews, and integration of regulatory requirements, all with a focus on compliance with specific industry standards.

With an in-house regulatory expert overseeing compliance with all regulations, including GMP and NHS HTM guidelines, we mitigate risks early and ensure all systems meet operational and safety requirements.

Unlike traditional methods, we initiate validation execution at our factory, with your involvement at every stage. These activities are conducted under the management of our quality system and witnessed by the client. Once onsite, a further exercise confirms that no changes have been made and no damage has occurred in transit prior to commencing start-up and full commissioning.

This integrated offsite approach shortens the overall validation programme, ensuring that your facility is optimised for operations from day one.