Clarke invests £4m in new state-of-the-art facility at disused Michelin Centre

The Façade and Offsite specialist has invested £4 million in the new state of the art office and advanced offsite manufacturing facility in Ballymena to support its growth ambitions.

Founded in 1997 by Michael Clarke, the company specialises in designing safe, sustainable, and elegant facades for commercial and residential medium to high-rise buildings with clients across the UK and Ireland.

Now located at Raceview Road between Ballymena and Broughshane, the new head office of the family-owned business includes an advanced offsite manufacturing facility which has been designed as an innovation hub that will deliver the best façade design and engineering capability in the UK and Ireland.

The new facility has been built to accommodate the growth of the business, which has seen turnover increase by 25% each year since 2018 to reach almost £30million in revenue in 2022.

Over the past two years, the staff count has increased from 65 to 95, with 30 manufacturing and professional roles being created due to an increase in demand for Clarke’s services. The company has most recently won three new clients for large scale projects across the offsite, repurposing, and cladding remediation strands of the business.

Built on the former site of the Michelin Training Centre which closed in 2016, Clarke’s new offices have revitalised the old building as part of the company’s ‘Re-Purpose’ initiative, which aims to reduce the carbon footprint of the construction industry by repurposing old, disused buildings. Upgrading the energy efficiency of the old structure, the office and factory both now use energy generated from 100% renewable sources.

Eugene Clarke, Managing Director of Clarke, said: “Our new offices are a testament to our growth as a business in recent years. With our client and staff numbers increasing, we had outgrown our old site so I’m excited to welcome the team to our beautiful and eco-friendly new headquarters.

“As part of the Re-Purpose division of our business, it was important that we moved to regenerate an existing site in a bid to reduce our carbon footprint. Built in the 1970s, the super structure of the old Michelin building was sound and only required us to tailor it to our needs. Our own highly skilled team modernised the building, increasing its energy efficiency and aesthetics, and the result perfectly showcases our design, manufacturing and construction capabilities

“With demand increasing for façade design and cladding remediation, Clarke is primed for growth and our new advanced offsite design facility boasts market leading technology in modern methods of construction which will allow us to increase our offering and expand our client base further.”

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