CORNISH REGENERATION SCHEME UTILISES MODULAR BUILDING SYSTEM
A new visitor centre at Heartlands, a £35million
regeneration scheme for heritage tin mine workings in Cornwall, has
been equipped with a pioneering building services solution from
Pipe Center.
Heartlands, which opens to the public on 20 April, is located on
a 19-acre site at Pool, near Redruth, encompassing the original
mine at Robinson's Shaft, with traditional exposed workings and
structural supports retained as part of the visitor attraction. The
main contractor on the project is Midas Construction.
George Cox, who headed up the project for building services
contractor EIC, said: 'A key requirement of the design was to
retain the authentic mine workings with their steel and ironwork
structures. The offsite modular approach offered an ideal solution,
as it could be blended into the historical setting. It effectively
becomes part of the scene without distracting from the impact or
historical authenticity of the workings.'
The modular system, built offsite by Pipe Center's specialist
modular engineering business, includes electrical services and
heating pipe work for low temperature hot water, fed by a district
heating system running on pelletized woodchip biomass boilers.
George Cox said: 'The mine workings are Grade II listed.
Therefore, it required great care in all aspects of the design and
installation of the system. Because the detailed assembly
work is carried out offsite, in factory-controlled conditions, it
significantly reduces the amount of time and manpower required to
install the finished system onsite. Importantly, it also reduces
the amount of working at height required and reduces the risk of
accidents.' He added: 'Modular building services is a
fantastic idea, as long as it is carefully matched to the
particular requirements of a building or project.'
The low-carbon, low-waste characteristics of the modular
building services reflect the excellent renewable credentials of
the project as a whole. In addition to high efficiency biomass
boilers, the site uses solar power and rainwater harvesting,
storing collected water in existing below-ground storage
structures.
Pipe Center staff took part in site visits and technical surveys
with EIC in order to understand the challenges and constraints of
the project.
'Roger Hoskins, regional sales manager for Pipe Center and
Climate Center, said: 'The project was supported by a number of
Wolseley teams and is an outstanding example of collaboration at
its best. We provided a single point of contact for all the
company's products, which were sourced from across Pipe Center,
Plumb Center and Drain Center.'
Funded by grants from the Big Lottery Fund, Homes and
Communities Agency and European Convergence funds, Cornwall
Council's Heartlands project will be managed as a social
enterprise, with any profit generated through venue hire, trade and
other events, reinvested in the project to boost the local
economy.
Once open fully, visitors will be able to explore Heartlands'
galleries, artists' studios, farmers' markets, botanical gardens,
adventure play area and World Heritage Site exhibition - all of
which are free entry.
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