The specification of an Armstrong off-site manufactured plant room for Lewisham Primary Care Trust has speeded programme times for a major new centre for children and young people. Off-site construction of the packaged plant room streamlined the delivery of the Lewisham Children and Young People’s Centre, reduced site traffic at this busy London location, and assisted in reducing levels of on-site health and safety risk during the build.

Situated at Rushey Green, Catford, the large five storey building houses over 250 staff and is the first of its kind providing such a comprehensive range of integrated PCT and voluntary sector services for children and young people. Staff, families and young people have been closely involved in the design of the £13.3 million centre which has been called an example of excellence in design and process by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment.

The HVAC design consultant, Max Fordham LLP, working in collaboration with main contractor Verry Construction, specified an off-site manufactured plant room for the project to supply chilled water, cold water storage and heating as well as domestic hot water supply and storage. M & E contractor EIC approached Armstrong Integrated Systems, who constructed the plant room in its factory in Halesowen, West Midlands, and delivered it to site fully-assembled, in an enclosure, and requiring only final connections.

Manufacturing the plant room off-site enabled construction of the HVAC facilities to take place concurrently with the project, instead of at the end of the building process. This essentially removed it from the critical path, and final installation of the plant room could then be achieved within days, instead of requiring a number of weeks. Reducing the amount of contractor access necessary for this part of the project also improved traffic conditions in this busy area of London. In addition, health and safety risk was significantly reduced as work was carried out in the more easily controlled and regulated environment of a purpose-designed factory rather than at the construction site. To ensure efficient final installation of the plant room, Armstrong Integrated Systems utilised the latest 3D computer modelling technology to ensure that the plant room design could anticipate and match exactly the dimensions and services of the new building.

Steve Cooper, managing director of Armstrong Integrated Systems said, “Off-site construction is ideally suited to a project of this scale and complexity as it can reduce the risk of bottlenecks and removes any reliance on suitable weather conditions. We are very proud to have been part of the team selected to bring this important centre to completion.”

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