New Southport MHU featuring Safevent windows now open

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A new £21m mental health hospital using Britplas Safevent windows has opened in Southport.

Twelve years on from their first collaboration, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust chose Britplas to deliver Safevent windows to the brand new unit which replaces the Boothroyd Unit and Hesketh Centre.

Hartley Hospital consists of 44 en-suite bedrooms, each of which has been fitted with a Safevent Access externally sliding aluminium window. The facility also features inner garden courtyards, a café, two gyms, a family visiting room and multi-faith area. This state-of-the-art facility takes a lot of features from Mersey Care’s award-winning Clock View Hospital.

Every Safevent is covered with marine grade powder coating as the £20m facility is on the Lancashire coastline. The hospital’s internal areas all have names that reflect this coastal connection such as Dunes Ward, Marsh Ward, Mere Suite and Marine Suite.

Work was carried out by main contractor Farran Heron Joint Venture (FHJV) with the plans drawn up by Gilling Dodd architects.

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Norton Street time lapse

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We are delighted to be able to share this time lapse video from our client Create Construction on a project we finished last year at Norton Street in Liverpool. The £38m scheme, designed by Falconer Chester Hall, consists of two 15/8 and 11 storey blocks, with an eye-catching façade and interesting architectural details. The project, named Calico, comprises 220,000 square footage with 735 student beds, social hub areas and a large retail area across 2 blocks. Britplas provided the whole external façade including curtain walling, casement windows and doors and cladding.

Photo credit to Create Construction and Jason White Photography.

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All smiles as Fortress Fencing is installed!

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Britplas have completed the refurbishment of the courtyard fencing on Holt Ward at Newtown Hospital in Worcester – a mental health assessment ward for patients in acute crisis. The project was commissioned by Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, who needed a more secure perimeter solution than the previous installation, reducing the chance of absconsion whilst helping to create a relaxed and calming environment.

Our Fortress Fencing was installed over two phases to minimize disruption for the day-to-day operation of the ward and the lives of service users living there. The 2.4m fence, printed with a woodland scene, was designed in collaboration with the client to provide a therapeutic space which would also contain people with wide-ranging mental health issues.

People are admitted to Holt Ward for a 14-day assessment period to understand their care -requirements. As service users’ needs are wide-ranging, the facility must conform to the standards expected of high secure facilities.

Bev Hardiman, the Ward Manager commented “We wanted a fence which would meet our security requirements but would also add an ambience to the environment where it could be used as a therapeutic calming space. The Britplas team were fabulous from start to finish, they took our ideas and created something fit for purpose! The team worked for a cause and not for applause!”

Maritime defence facility brings Britplas on-board

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Britplas have been appointed as the external envelope supplier for the latest development of Qinetiq’s Portsdown Technology Park (PTP). Main contractor Volker Fitzpatrick will be completing the project for client QinetiQ, who have a long-standing interest on site which had its first military facility built in 1870.

The complex project will require Britplas to design, manufacture and install a mixture of curtain walling, cladding and soffit systems as part of a facade package worth in excess of £2m, made up of 1,450m2 cladding, 1,900m2 curtain walling and 675m2 fire screens. The new facility will offer 6,320m2 office space, an auditorium and accommodation, forming the National Maritime Systems Centre.

For over 45 years PTP has integrated and tested combat and communications equipment and software for all Royal Navy warships prior to their deployment at sea. The new £23m facility will continue this by securing 100 new jobs in addition to the 300 based at the site.

Recent examples of technology that has been tested and integrated with existing equipment includes BAE Systems’ Artisan surveillance radar and MBDA’s Sea Ceptor Air Defence System.

The exact systems being used are:

  • Schueco FWS 50+ capped curtain walling system
  • Aluprof MBSR50N fire rated curtain wall
  • Aluminum cladding system

Installation of the façade is scheduled to start on site in July 2019 with Britplas due to finish in by the end of 2019.

Britplas secure glazing package for Edinburgh St James, one of the UK’s largest private sector regeneration projects

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Britplas has recently secured a contract worth in excess of £8m for the design and installation of the glazing to a large section of Laing O’Rourke’s landmark Edinburgh St James development.

With a total investment value of £1.7billion, Edinburgh St James is one of the UK’s largest regeneration projects, located at the top of Leith Walk. Its predecessor, the St James shopping centre, was built in the 1960s and has recently been demolished to make way for 850,000 sq. ft. of retail space, a luxury hotel, 150 new homes, 30 restaurants and a cinema.

At a pre-construction level our team worked with Laing O’Rourke and BDP Architects to deliver both the aesthetic and performance requirements of Edinburgh’s new centrepiece. The end result was a multi-faceted package consisting of:

  • Kawneer AA100 capped curtain walling
  • Kawneer AA720 window/ door suite
  • Kawneer AA4110 sliding door
  • Kawneer AA190 thermally broken and non-thermally broken commercial doors

Work on the site started in 2016, with extensive demolition and excavation required (to a depth of some five storeys). Britplas are due to begin installing the external facade in February 2019, finishing 10 months later in Q1 2020. The whole program is scheduled to be completed in 2020.

Britplas appointed to Norton Street residential scheme

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Britplas have been awarded a £4.2m contract to design and install the external vertical envelope to The Weavers, Norton Street – a £36m student accommodation development in Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter.

The scheme is located in Islington, 400m from both Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Liverpool, and will house a total of 748 students across three blocks of eight, eleven and fifteen storeys.

Britplas were appointed to the 220,000 sq. ft. scheme by main contractor Create Construction, and are due on site in late August 2018, finishing early January 2019.

The in-house design department at Britplas have worked in collaboration with the client and scheme architect to choose a specification consisting of both Aluprof and Smartwall systems which have been chosen to meet both aesthetic and technical requirements. Products used will include:

  • Aluprof MB-SR50N capped curtain walling;
  • Aluprof MB-SR50N SG silicone pointed curtain walling;
  • Aluprof MB-70Hi window suite: Opening lights glazed internally, fixed lights externally; and
  • Smartwall thermally broken commercial door system.

Design to install service from Britplas

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The design phase is well underway for Milton Keynes’ new Blue Light Hub, and Britplas have recently constructed a sample section of the vertical façade in order to fully test and refine the glazing system.

The Blue Light Hub is a £14 million development which will create a state-of-the-art combined fire, police and ambulance centre. Its striking curved façade is due to be installed by Britplas towards the end of the year and includes Schüco FWS 50 curtain walling and Schüco AWS 65 windows and doors.

Andrew Harrison, Design Manager for the project commented “Due to the complexity of having vertically faceted mullions sat on a faceted curve the reasons behind the decision to produce a sample were twofold. We needed to provide the client with a full size sample, to allow them to see a realistic representation of their concept and allow us to provide a benchmark for the standard of the internal and external joints, the finish achievable and how the overall appearance of the screen will look using a PPC spandrel panel within the blue framework and clear glass.

Secondly, we needed to fully understand the fabrication and construction of the mullions, connection of the transom upon a faceted joint and complete a time and motion study to ensure our production program will meet site delivery requirements.”

Britplas also understood, from early collabration with the client Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue, the importance of the panel colour reflecting the glazed areas along the shaped façade. The construction of a sample was the best way to ensure that these aesthetic requirements would be met.

The finished sample has also allowed us to develop and improve the mullion joints and transom connections and understand the drainage aspect for the mullions.

Britplas chosen for emergency services reshuffle

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Britplas have been appointed to provide the external envelope of Milton Keynes’ new Blue Light Hub. The £14 million development will create a state-of-the-art combined fire, police and ambulance centre to serve as a central command centre, replacing several dispersed services spread through each borough.

The project is being led by Kingerlee Limited who are contracted to complete works on site by August 2019, with Britplas due to start their £2 million external envelope package in late October 2018 and finish late June 2019.

The in-house design team at Britplas worked closely with Kingerlee to create an envelope which worked for the specific needs of this unique building. composite cladding, Schüco FWS 50 curtain walling and Schüco AWS 65 windows/ doors are due to be installed on the landmark project which will form part of a 3 acre site in Thornbury, West Ashland.

As part of the development, services provided by Bletchley and Great Holm Fire stations and Bletchley Police Station will move to the Blue Light Hub.

Two wins for Britplas in Education

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Britplas have recently secured two more schools projects – with the schemes being delivered from two separate Kier Construction regions.

The first is a £34m development at Beaulieu to address the demand for primary and secondary school spaces within the Essex area.

The Beaulieu Park is Essex’s first ‘All Through’ school with the primary phasing opening for reception students in September 2018 with the secondary phase opening in September 2019.

The second is a new build school project again funded by the Department for Education, investing £25m to build the most modern, best equipped Catholic School in London. The scheme includes complete demolition of existing buildings and replacement with two new teaching blocks. New specialist teaching facilities, including seven science labs, large modern sports hall, activity studio, food technology room, art and design facilities, a suite of music rooms and recording studio,  and a fully equipped hall / theatre with raked seating, each designed to meet the latest school ventilation requirements.

Britplas are providing Eurocell Upvc windows designed for Education environments across both schemes, along with aluminium curtain walling from Aluprof and doors from Smart Architectural Aluminium.

Both projects have challenging natural light and ventilation targets to ensure stimulating learning environments and Britplas have been instrumental in achieving this by working closely with Kier and their Design Teams.

Windows are currently being fabricated and installation programs anticipate a phased approach on both projects with Britplas involvement forecast to continue in to 2019.