Back in December 2023 we started work supporting Bouygues UK’s construction of the landmark Pentre Awel development in Llanelli a collaboration bringing together health, research, business innovation and leisure facilities to support future wellbeing and economic growth across Carmarthenshire. This £200m project reached completion in July 2025 delivering a state-of-the-art, sustainable and multi-use campus designed to operate efficiently, adapt over time and serve a wide range of users and public services.

Our MEP design and installation strategy provides an integrated, energy-efficient and future-ready solution across all buildings. This includes low-carbon heat generation led by air source heat pumps with high-efficiency boilers supplementing peak load demand and decentralised cooling systems using air-cooled chillers and fan coil units for flexible local environmental control. In addition the project incorporates specialist ventilation strategies including HTM-compliant healthcare ventilation, swimming pool ventilation systems, dehumidification and climate control for the pool hall a hydrotherapy suite and mixed-mode natural ventilation in public and teaching zones to reduce energy consumption.

We ensured the project incorporated resilient electrical infrastructure including a client-owned HV/LV distribution network, a standby generator for critical systems, lightning protection and transient overvoltage protection and structured ICT networks serving Carmarthenshire County Council, Swansea University, business start-up spaces and public access zones. The project also includes fire and security systems such as dry risers, AOV smoke ventilation, CCTV, access control and assisted-call systems where required, and public health services supporting clinical spaces, sports facilities and water treatment for the swimming and hydrotherapy pools.

Sustainability was also a core consideration throughout the site’s development. Key initiatives include on-site solar PV generation, electric vehicle charging infrastructure to support low-emission transport, comprehensive energy monitoring and metering to ensure transparent operational performance and optimised heating and cooling systems designed to minimise both running costs and carbon footprint.

Whitehead’s involvement directly supported Bouygues UK’s wider achievements on the project, which delivered Over £35 million in social value through employment, education, and community engagement initiatives, 76 new entrant jobs and 62 apprenticeships across MEP and construction disciplines and an on-site employment hub that helped local residents access career opportunities within the construction sector. By providing mentoring, technical guidance, and real-world training Whitehead helped ensure these employment and skills outcomes were successfully achieved.

In addition to contributing to the site-wide apprenticeship programme, Whitehead worked in partnership with the Cyfle Shared Apprenticeship Scheme to support the training and development of apprentices directly within our company. This included 10 mechanical and plumbing apprentices who gained valuable, structured site-based experience as part of the Pentre Awel programme further strengthening the local skills pipeline.

Speaking about the site, our project director Hywel Morton emphasized that “Pentre Awel has been delivered to a standard that ensures long-term value for the community. The integrated MEP systems not only enhance sustainability and operational efficiency but create a flexible environment capable of evolving to support healthcare, education and public wellbeing for years to come. This project reflects what collaborative design and engineering can achieve and it’s something we are incredibly proud to have been part of.”

During the final year of the project our facilities and maintenance division attended after care meetings with the Whitehead project delivery team, Carmarthenshire County Council and Bouygues. As a result of this early engagement, we were able to ensure a planned preventative maintenance programme was in place before practical completion. Furthermore, engineers carrying out the servicing attended inductions to ensure they were familiar with the plant and equipment. Our proactive approach has resulted in further benefits, including ensuring legislative compliance and protecting the value of installed assets through maintaining plant warranties. In investing so heavily in our after-care support package we have been appointed to undertake the planned preventative maintenance, thereby reassuring Carmarthenshire County Council that we are available to fully support them in the ongoing operation of the building.

Shaun Johnson, our operations director for maintenance with direct oversight of the site’s ongoing performance commented “We are delighted that following the successful installation we have been able to seamlessly support both Bouygues and Carmarthenshire County Council in the future operation of such a prestigious building. Furthermore, our continued involvement will allow us to continue to invest in the region by using local engineers to support the site.”

— Photo credit for the next slide Bouygues