Project update: Oxford Humanities Centre

/in ,

Britplas has now commenced on-site installation at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities at Oxford University where it is responsible for the façade package, working with main contractor Laing O’Rourke.

The building, designed by Hopkins Architects, uses Schüco AWS 90si windows and doors and features brick and stone façades.  It is set to become one of the biggest buildings to adhere to Passivhaus standards.

Following extensive testing in 2023, a total of 236 windows were initially installed off-site into pre-cast concrete panels and are now being installed via crane at the Oxford site. The team is currently making good progress, with the South elevation ground floor and level 01 windows complete along with West elevation ground floor windows.

The Centre will boost teaching and research in the humanities at Oxford University and provide them with a new home which brings together seven faculties, the Institute for Ethics in AI, the Oxford Internet Institute, and a new humanities library.

Britplas is due to complete works in early 2025, with the building set to open next year.

Britplas appointed to new Mossley Hill facility by GRAHAM

/in ,

We are delighted to announce that Britplas has been appointed by GRAHAM to provide windows, curtain walling, doors and their specialist Safevent windows to a new state-of-the-art mental health facility commissioned by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust on land owned by the Trust in Mossley Hill, Liverpool.

Designed by architect Gilling Dod, the new inpatient facility will phase out traditional shared dormitory mental health wards to provide 80 single bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms. Throughout the hospital, therapeutic spaces with light and airy environments have been prioritised as well as facilities for family visitation and multi-faith worship.

Plans for the new development were approved in 2022 and the former hospital buildings, which were deemed unfit for purpose, were demolished in February.

Dorothy Pattison Hospital to use Safevent windows

/in ,

Britplas has been selected to provide the windows and glazing to a new inpatient facility for Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust at Dorothy Pattison Hospital in Walsall.

Working for Kier, the contract encompasses the design, manufacture and installation of Safevent Access windows, along with curtain walling and doors.

Intended for older patients, the new unit will lead to creation of a 15-bedded functional ward and a ten-bedded dementia ward and will replace the current facilities located at Bloxwich Hospital.

Britplas are on site in Q3 2023, with the new facility expected to open in 2024.

New contract for Oxford Humanities Centre

/in ,

Britplas is delighted to announce that it has been awarded a contract by Laing O’Rourke to complete the glazing package to the new Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities at Oxford University.

The new building, designed by Hopkins Architects, is one of the university’s biggest ever building projects, bringing nine faculties and institutes and seven libraries and collections into one home, with spaces for graduate, postgraduate and post-doctoral learning and research.

Britplas will be carrying out the design and installation of Schuco aluminium windows and door sets along with associated perimeter detailing and flashings.

The windows and doors are required to meet Passivhaus standards, with rigorous energy efficient design standards therefore being applied by the Britplas design team.

The project starts on site next month, with completion scheduled in June 2024.

 

Britplas wins 4 Glass Wharf

/in ,

Britplas has been awarded a contract by Wates to complete the glazing and cladding package to 4 Glass Wharf, a major new Grade A office building in Bristol city centre.

The building will create 212,000 sq ft of flexible workspace in the city’s Temple Quarter and is targeting a BREEAM Outstanding and WELL Core Platinum certifications alongside an EPC ‘A’ Rating.

Works are now underway and the project is scheduled to be complete by the second quarter of 2024. The development will also include a ground-floor café with outdoor space, wellness and fitness facilities, and green landscaped terraces with views of the Bristol skyline.

Bristol City Council is working with partners including Homes England and Network Rail to deliver the broader Temple Quarter project, a 100-hectare regeneration of land around Temple Meads station.

Britplas returns to Discovery Quay

/in ,

Britplas has been awarded a contract by Graham Construction to complete the design and installation of the building envelope to the second phase of ‘Discovery’ student accommodation at Salford Quays in Manchester.

The 15 storey, 457 bedroom scheme will feature Kawneer windows and curtain walling as well as 6,000 sq m of aluminium rainscreen cladding.

The award follows on from Britplas’ successful completion of the first phase of Discovery Quay in 2020. Work commences on site this summer and the project is due for completion in summer 2023.

Britplas appointed to key Birkenhead regeneration project

/in ,

Britplas has been appointed by Morgan Sindall to deliver the facade package to the first two buildings of a multi-billion pound development of Birkenhead town centre.

The scheme comprises two new Grade A office buildings, blocks A1 and A2, which form part of a wider regeneration project led by Wirral Growth Company, a 50:50 joint venture partnership between Wirral Council and national urban regeneration specialists, Muse Developments.

Britplas will be carrying out the design and installation of Schueco curtain walling, doors, louvres and bespoke terracotta cladding. Work is due to start on site in Q3 2022 with the project due for completion in 2023.

Fortress 80 Fencing shortlisted in Design in Mental Health Awards

/in ,

Britplas is delighted to have been shortlisted in the Outside Spaces category of the 2022 Design in Mental Health Awards for its Fortress 80 Fencing installation carried out at Sowenna CAMHS Unit in Bodmin.

Anti-ligature Fortress 80 Fencing is widely used for securing mental health unit buildings, recreational and outdoor areas, providing enhanced security and safety for patients and staff.

“We are absolutely delighted with the finished Fortress 80 Fencing” explained Karyn Roberts, Business Support Officer at Sowenna, following the project completion. “Not only has it solved the fundamental problems with the old fence but it’s actually helped to create a much more pleasant environment for our service users.

“Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with visitors and patients regularly telling us how much better it looks, but we are also seeing a direct behavioural impact with markedly increased usage of the recreation area.”

The full shortlist can be viewed here. Winners are due to be announced on Wednesday 8th June.

For more details on the Sowenna installation click here.

Fortress 80 Fencing wins a Building Better Healthcare Award

/in , ,

Britplas Fortress 80 Fencing installed at Sowenna CAMHS Inpatient Unit, Bodmin, has won the award for the Best External Environment Project at the 2021 Building Better Healthcare Awards.

The BBH Awards celebrate the very best in the design and build of healthcare facilities across the UK. During a double celebration held at The Brewery in central London this week and attended by more than 600 guests, trophies were handed out across five classes for both the 2020 and 2021 competitions, after last year’s event was postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Britplas anti-ligature Fortress 80 Fencing is widely used for securing mental health unit buildings, recreational and outdoor areas, providing total security and safety for patients and staff.

Supported on substantial posts and fixed with anti-tamper fixings, Fortress Fencing is ultra-strong, exceptionally secure and can be built up to heights of 5.2 metres. Its innovative cloaking allows for the overprinting of artwork or scenery which can be used to enhance therapeutic environments.

The Sowenna fence was installed in Q4 2020, with Britplas adopting Covid-secure working practices to carry out the project during the UK’s second period of lockdown.

“We are absolutely delighted with the finished Fortress 80 Fencing” explained Karyn Roberts, Business Support Officer at Sowenna. “Not only has it solved the fundamental problems with the old fence but it’s actually helped to create a much more pleasant environment for our service users.

“Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with visitors and patients regularly telling us how much better it looks, but we are also seeing a direct behavioural impact with markedly increased usage of the recreation area.

“We are all aware of the therapeutic impact of the natural environment and this fencing is a great way to bring the beauty of the outdoors into our facility whilst also, crucially, successfully solving a potential absconsion problem and minimising the ligature risk.”

For more details on the Sowenna fencing project please click here.

For more details on Fortress 80 Fencing please click here.

The complete list of BBH Award winners can be found here.