INCA Case Study: Ashby’s Point, Kent

BACKGROUND

The two-tiered blocks in Tonbridge have been refurbished to provide residents with a safer and energy efficient home but also enhanced the appearance of the local area.

The Town and Country Housing Group, selected Equans to refurbish the flats and bring the buildings in to line with the standards of new build properties.

The client wanted to provide more energy efficient homes for its residents whilst also refreshing the local area and extend the life of the original building by using products that would improve its thermal performance and provide a more pleasant place to live.

SOLUTION & SPECIFICATION

• Removal and replacement of existing combustible external insulation system
• Cavity rail, External Wall insulation, textured silicone finish.
• Replaced with directly fixed External Wall insulation, textured silicone finish.

INSTALLATION & CHALLENGES

As experienced applicators of many Wetherby specifications, the rendering system did not prove to be a challenge for our team. The cavity rail system that lay beneath the rendering works was fixed into a combustible cement particle board which also needed removing and replaced with an approved Y-wall board with a strong consistent KN reading providing the support for all the Wetherby manufactured materials.

The decision was made to use a direct fix system as the insulation size needed to be increased to meet current u values, but left none or little space to work behind the external steel columns and balconies.  This method allowed us to overcome a fluctuating substrate.

PROBLEMS OVERCOME

As with any retrofit works the consistent challenge is the unknown. Investigations before the commencement of the full-scale works can only reveal some of the challenges any given project will face. Whatever the challenge that surfaces, the solution needs to be decided on through a cohesive and clear methodology. Weekly request for information meetings with the principal contractor and a comprehensive tracking document allowed us to create a golden thread of communication that led to a solution in the many unforeseen challenges of this job.

Two problems were poor working space behind the balconies and supporting steel posts and a wider range of firestopping than originally known. The case with the Balconies is a success story for the ownership that our health and safety culture ask all employees to take upon themselves. When stripping the existing build-up our operatives spotted that the fire breaks had originally been missed in places. The discovery, our management team documented and put forward the issue to the PC.  Another issue we faced was firestopping within the SFS frame. Higher and lower blocks are steel framed residential structures with a mix of private and social housing. Their design meant that when the renewal of EWI works was taking place, we were revealing the internal plasterboard from the outside. We discovered a mix of electrical outlets that needed making safe. P J Mear engaged a FIRAS accredited team to work along side as new areas were revealed daily. After the several designs to overcome each issue were settled on, PJM worked hand in hand with the fire stopping team daily to make sure no single item was missed providing another layer of safety for the current and future residents.

END RESULT

Ashby Point now show tell the story of a job that involved many hands working together to prove a safe environment and an improved aesthetic for all residents and the local community. The refreshed higher block can be seen across Tonbridge and no longer poses an eyesore or a safety risk.

CLIENT COMMENTS;

 Chris Vasiu – EQUANS Site Manager

“Ashbys Point was a challenging project, incorporating full replacement of EWI in conjunction with cladding panels and new aluminium balconies to attain an A1 fire system and subsequently EWS1 certificate. The building is a full SFS structure 7storey block with various projecting and inset balconies, roofing elements and an internal floating courtyard above the under-croft carpark.

PJ Mear have been a trustworthy and reliable partner throughout the journey, providing key input into the design and planning stage as well as ad-hoc solutions. They have facilitated a close collaboration with all the manufacturers (Wetherby, Rockwool etc) and integrated a robust ITP process to make sure all the technical specifications are meticulously followed into practice. The site management, level of quality assurance and the subsequent quality of finish was excellent and praised by both client and residents.”