We always put people first, and nowhere more so than when we were called upon to deliver upgrade works to replace dilapidated concrete panels at William Harvey Hospital in Kent.
The project involves plant screening atop two 1960s concrete water towers as part of a £30m upgrade and modernisation programme for East Kent Hospitals University NHS Trust.
We were acutely aware of the need to minimise patient disturbance whilst working on the live site, but also the architect’s desire to reduce the visual impact and provide a cost-effective alternative to the concrete panels on the structures and new roof-top plant. Not only were the existing towers tall- originally five storeys high- but land-locked in the middle of the hospital estate, so highly prominent and visible.
Working closely with architect GPM2 Design, we devised a four-sided screen approx.12m x 14m x 6m formed from our WGK75 ventilation louvre system. By inverting the louvre blades for the bottom section of the screen but disguise the plant from anyone looking up.
Powder-coating the blades in a gradient of three different shades of grey and adding flashing between the diverse bands of colour further softens the visual impact of the towers and the enclosed plant.
To ensure structural rigidity over such a large louvre bank, we designed in and manufactured bespoke vertical box sections into the mullions.
The logistics of providing safe passage of materials to and from both towers was a complex challenge. On site, we worked closely with principal contractor WW Martin to schedule deliveries so patients were disturbed as little as possible, and to execute craning of components to the top of the scaffolding.
The site constraints further meant we needed to extend the scaffold platform to optimise the erection process, with some 352m2 of ventilation screening louvres. Our unique clip-on blade arrangement enabled fast, efficient and accurate assembly of the louvre system on site, despite the large size of the screens.
Chris Wiltshire, project architect, elaborates:
“The original water towers are very prominent and very solid features, and the hospital is reliant on them for its water. Our brief was for them to provide a replacement cladding that was pleasing to the eye, for them to appear to dissolve into the sky, to moderate their visual impact. Gilberts’ advice to invert the blades and graduate the colour has achieved that.”
The first tower’s plant ventilation and screening is now complete, with the second due for completion later in the year.
It’s not the first time that our HVAC solutions have been used in either a healthcare environment or to influence the aesthetic effect of a structure.
Papworth Hospital, Royal Victoria Hospital, St Lukes Bradford and Ulster Hospital feature among the hospitals that we air. Blackpool FC- nickname The Tangerines- asked us to powder coat our WGK75 system in their corporate RAL for the club shop, and for chemical processor Hardide Coatings we painted our louvres bright blue at the customer’s request.
Nor are Wm Harvey Hospital’s louvres the biggest we’ve done. For the world’s single largest bespoke offshore wind monopile factory 200m from the North Sea in Teeside we designed and built a screen round two sides of the 40m high x 800m long production facility to protect the site from the aggressive marine environment.
Looking for the right louvre solution for your project?
From plant screening and weather protection to ventilation solutions where appearance matters, our extensive louvre range can be tailored to suit the demands of your building.
Explore our full louvre range here.