Niall McQuitty, architectural director at Stamford-based design firm Arctica (www.arctica.co.uk), will be discussing best practice in hygienic factory design at a Food and Drink Federation (FDF) conference entitled Hygiene by Design. The event will take place at the FDF’s London premises on Thursday 16 November.
This one-day conference has been organised by the Food and Drink Federation in partnership with ACO Building Drainage to help manufacturers develop best practice in factory construction. Best practice is based upon the principles of hygienic engineering and design and their application at every stage of the manufacturing process from plant design through to processing and packaging.
Niall McQuitty said: “Companies engaging in the new build and development of food manufacturing sites are under increasing pressure to ensure they are fit for purpose in terms of constantly changing regulations around hygiene.
“Hygiene is critical to the success of any food and drink manufacturing business. It is therefore crucial that manufacturers develop best practice based upon the principles of hygienic engineering and design right from the start of the planning process of a specific project. This is true right through the design process.”
Designing and constructing a food processing facility presents some unique challenges; harsh environments due to processing and cleaning requirements; food safety controls; the integration of food preparation, production and packaging flow with people movements within the building layout; the need to minimise building footprint and maximise cost efficiencies.
Niall has extensive experience and specialist knowledge of the food processing industry covering architecture, services, process and cost consultancy. He will describe how to deliver practical architecture, functioning processes and effective construction cost and contract management based around the principles of hygiene.
Niall McQuitty founded Arctica in 2001. His experiences working for commercial clients on tight programmes have generated significant knowledge managing projects during the construction phase. This has led to the development of an organised and disciplined approach with a robust design focus.
As well as food manufacture, Niall’s project experience has covered waste to energy generation, offices, ship building and repair, restaurants, defence and government organisations.
Founded as an architectural practice specialising in the food industry, Arctica now offers a multi-disciplinary ‘one stop shop’ for design and construction management of buildings for food processing and industry.
Arctica’s services range from surveys and feasibility studies through to building and process design, project management and building contract administration. It will manage all aspects of constructing a new building including obtaining planning consent and tackling issues such as production of construction documentation, CDM 2015 management, fire strategy, and health and safety during building construction and operation.
With an in-depth knowledge of the food industry, Arctica focusses equally on programme, budget, technical and health and safety requirements. The firm prides itself on a ‘can do attitude’ and a passion for accuracy and thoroughness.
Visit https://www.fdf.org.uk/events/
