Johnson Matthey Refinery
A metals refinery that had been running since the 1960s – replaced on its own site, without stopping operations.
Bryden Wood was engaged by Johnson Matthey in 2016 – six years before completion – to masterplan the optimal location, phasing, and site-wide logistics for the new facility. A programme of enabling works followed: a new central store, a new workshop building, and strategic space relocations, all carried out on a continuously operational industrial site before the main refinery works could begin.
Project details:
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The 3CR refinery building covers 2,500 m² across five levels, split into two main blocks. The main process hall houses four levels of refinery equipment, foam sprinklers for enhanced fire suppression, 16 large air-handling units moving 60 m³/s in total with high-efficiency heat recovery, and high-integrity cooling systems. The building infrastructure distributes 24 different gases, acids, and reagents. The adjoining Administration Building consolidates multiple dispersed site change facilities into a single, purpose-built central space – freeing the existing rooms for repurposing. BREEAM Very Good.
The 3CR project replaced a metals refinery that was out of date, uneconomical to operate, and no longer capable of supporting Johnson Matthey's growth or keeping pace with emerging technologies in the sector. The challenge was not just technical – it was logistical. The existing services infrastructure, including steam, water, power, communications, and multiple gases, had to be incorporated into the new design. Poor ground conditions and high levels of contaminants required careful management throughout. A phased construction sequence was developed to work alongside the enabling works programme without disrupting operations.
The completed facility brings Johnson Matthey's refining capabilities in line with future technological advances – a building designed to distribute 24 different gases, acids, and reagents, with mechanical systems capable of moving 60 m³/s of air across five levels, with high-efficiency heat recovery throughout.
Bryden Wood's engagement began with a masterplan in 2016 and ended with a completed refinery in 2022. The 3rd Century Refining facility gives Johnson Matthey capabilities that will serve the business for the next sixty years – built on the site the previous facility occupied for the last sixty.
