INCA Case Study: Global Point, Nottingham

Global Point, Nottingham

Rendserve took on the challenge of this high-profile student accommodation building in the autumn of 2023 located on the busiest road in Nottingham city centre.

Global Point is a student accommodation development consisting of 456 en-suite bedrooms housing international & local students with onsite support staff & excellent social spaces, providing a safe and comfortable environment within a central city centre location.

Completed originally back in 2014, our remit was to remove the original EPS render system and replace with an A1 fire rated system. The substrate was a concrete frame with timber SIPS panel infills.

There were huge logistical restraints attached to this project namely being the majority of the insulated render system was to the rear and side of the building which was completely inaccessible from the ground with the footprint of the building being the overall boundary. Along with this, the adjacent site compound sited in a small car park was the only way to access the elevations as the existing busy walkways were kept open to the public for the duration of the works. A huge gantry scaffold was erected from which the main scaffold was built consisting of hoists up to the 10^th floor roof. From that point another scaffold was erected with an additional hoist to get access upto the 16^th floor.

Access could then be obtained to the rear and side of the building.

Rendserve could then commence stripping off the existing 3500m² of insulated render system in manageable half metre sections with every square inch having to go back up the building, over the roof and down the hoist on the front side to waiting skips. The existing system being EPS insulation had to be bagged carefully to prevent a snowstorm of polystyrene balls floating over the streets of Nottingham City Centre.

Once all stripped, we along with the main contractor Vinci, inspected the existing OSB SIPS board and repaired and replaced any deficient areas following Brad tests which turned out to be considerable. All EPDM’s to windows and doors were then replaced and new powder coated aluminium window cills installed by Rendserve.

Each floor slab edge was completely exposed and core drilled at 350mm centres to allow an Injecta fire barrier to be installed behind the SIPS panels.

A 12mm Cement carrier board was then fixed to the face of the whole building SIPS panels with all board joints sealed and taped and then a Tyvek Fire curb Breather Membrane was installed to have the new substrate completely compliant & ready to receive the new EWI system.

Sika Parex supplied the Parex Therm Insulated render system which consisted of a 30mm Mineral Fibre insulation, reinforcing mesh, fire fixings and finished with a silicone 1.5mm top coat in a neutral off-white color. The finished system build up provided a total U value thermal calculation of 0.15W/mK. Due to the sensitive nature of the project there were 3 different consultant companies including a fire consultant officer inspecting and signing off every process of the installation.

Along with the insulated render system, Rendserve also removed the adjacent aluminium cladding (circa 1000m²) to expose the floor slabs so the same Injecta fire barrier treatment as on the EWI section could take place to again make the renewed build completely compliant to the latest fire regs. Due to the high public foot traffic in these areas the only way to access the cladding was from cradles to remediate these 16 storey elevations.

As with any strip off project there are so many hidden unknowns therefore the build programme extended to 16 months but still within the revised time restraints issued by Nottingham City Council.

The below comment was from Midlands regional director of Vinci UK:-

I’d like to thank Rendserve for the effort & professionalism that has gone into the successful delivery of the Global Point project. The project has been a great success for the Region and a real team effort from all involved.