Client: Hertford Regional College, Broxbourne
Contractor: Morgan Ashurst Plc
Value: £140,000 + VAT
Type of works: supply and installation of mezzanine flooring, fire protection and a staircases and balustrade system from RDA Projects.
What made this project so interesting was the build method and the application. Hertford Regional College had, over the summer, a brief opportunity to completely revamp their bricklaying and joinery training facilities as part of a major college development, valued at over £60million.
The existing Green Tye building was earmarked for complete refurbishment internally and externally, which involved new cladding and curtain wall gazing, as well as completely new ground and first floor classroom and workshop accommodation.
RDA designed a horseshoe-shaped, 900m2 mezzanine structure to accommodate classrooms at first floor, with an open atrium in the centre, to make the best of the natural light available from the new roof to the bricklaying training areas on the ground floor.
With limited headroom, but large clear spans essential, RDA designed an exceptionally slim structure using universal columns as beams, with column loads supported on foundations within the existing slab.
To further reduce the overall floor section, a direct screw-fix cladding was provided to achieve 1hr fire rating, with exposed steelwork site-applied with intumescent paint.
A robust, durable and safe balustrade system was required to protect the open atrium edges, so a mild steel powder-coated construction with perforated steel infill panels was used.
With only three weeks to construct the mezzanine floor and with much of the works having to be done before the building was weather-tight, the programme was a great challenge, but the completed installation was delivered on time and within budget, whilst achieving the highest levels of safety provision.