Campbell West Completes Student Union Bar Renovation at St. Mary’s University
Photo provided by Campbell West
Following an extensive refurbishment programme, Bracknell-based firm, Campbell West has completed a programme of building services works for the new Student Union bar at St. Mary’s University Strawberry Hill campus.
St Mary’s is a campus University in Twickenham, 30 minutes from central London, which serves around 6,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students across four academic Schools.
The Student Union bar is located in the heart of the campus and provides a focal point for the social life of many of the students. A programme of works has been undertaken to support and upgrade the facility – a late 20th Century brick building – for students and wider community, transforming a party location to a full gig venue complete with stage.
Building services specialist Campbell West, based in Bracknell and servicing the South East of England, was appointed for both electrical and mechanical services by main contractor Borras Construction. A team of ten from Campbell West combined duct workers with plumbers, electricians and air conditioning specialists.
Industrial in style and with the plumbing and electrical infrastructure not baked into the original design, the team addressed the challenge of electrical and mechanical design in-house before deployment on site.
Chris Jones, electrical project manager at Campbell West (CW), explains the extent of the project:
“This project was essentially a complete renovation of the former Student Union bar. It combined a partial demolition and rebuild to accommodate an extra storey, with an extensive renovation of the remaining part.
“On the electrical side, we had to install LV power distribution throughout the building along with a lighting control system. Next was lighting design and installation. This included light fittings which were suspended low from the ceiling along with hanging acoustic panels for noise control.
“The industrial style of the building meant that much of the wiring would remain visible. So, it was important that we took this into account in our design and execution of the job.”
Working alongside Chris, the mechanical team were tasked with installing heating/cooling technology, water and drainage services and toilets.
They selected an air source heat pump to warm the building with two Daikin air handling units for heat recovery and air ventilation with 12 fan cooling systems.
The CW team kitted out the washrooms with new sanitaryware and fit hot- and cold water supply along with drainage to the toilets, bar and backbar.
In addition, they installed a new cooler system in the cellar to keep the beer kegs cool.
Michael Timmons, mechanical project manager, led this element of the programme. It was essential that the mechanical and electrical team worked together to get the best outcome for the project. Michael says:
“Our involvement in the design stage of this project meant that we could bring the experience of both sides of the business to the table and work through the practicalities and timeline for the project as one team.
“It was also important for us that we had a single, consistent line of communication with Borras and with the University team. To be involved from the start made the project very much a team effort.”
