The second phase of Broomfield Hospital’s external surface refurbishment has been completed with Mapetherm System. The installation for Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust was carried out by C J Driscoll and Ruddick Contractors, for J W Steele & Sons Ltd, with Mapei materials supplied by RendMaster. The invention follows earlier Phase One works completed on the historic building.
Located in Chelmsford, Broomfield Hospital was originally known as Essex County Hospital and opened in 1940 as a tuberculosis centre. It retains an Edwardian manor house and original sanatorium buildings, along with expansive lawned gardens and woodland areas. Today, the district general hospital provides a wide range of services - including A&E, emergency medicine and surgery, elective surgery, maternity and paediatric services – and is home to the internationally renowned St Andrew's burns and plastics centre.
The Phase Two surface refurbishment works included a 450m2 courtyard area and stairwell. They followed an earlier Mapetherm installation within a courtyard area and across a one-sided section of original walling spanning approx. 400m2.
The Mapei specification featured Silancolor Tonachino 1.5mm, a full silicone resin topcoat and Silancolor Base Coat primer, which were both applied over Mapetherm AR1 GG, reinforced with Mapetherm Net and then applied onto Mineral Wool insulation boards, pre-installed by the contractor. Silancolor Tonachino is a water-repellent, breathable siloxane coating product, used to repair and protect internal and external surfaces. It is offered in four granulometries - 0.7 mm, 1.2 mm, 1.5 mm and 2.0 mm - with a 1.5 mm grain specified for the hospital application. Silancolor Base Coat is a coloured silicone resin-based primer in water dispersion, with micro granular quartz; it was used to even out the absorption of the substrate and promote bonding of the subsequent topcoat finish on the walls. Mapetherm AR1 GG is a high performance, one component cementitious base coat - for bonding, levelling and reinforcing thermal-insulating panels and thermal insulation systems - and Mapetherm Net is an alkali-resistant glass fibre mesh, ideal for reinforcing skim coats when repairing façades and installing Mapetherm thermal insulation systems.
“The Mapei system helped us achieve a great finish at Broomfield Hospital. It was easy to use, and it was also a pleasure to work with Mapei’s technical team – they supported the lads on site and were involved every step of the way,” explained Ruddick Contractor’s Director, Kevin Ruddick.