Cadbury College Refurbishment Works

CGJ Services have recently completed works for the above project in Kings Norton, Birmingham.

Cadbury College comprises a complex of five buildings, one of which features a multi-level arrangement of teaching and study areas.

The refurbishment consisted of three phases, commencing in May 2024 and concluding in the autumn of 2024. The primary focus of the project was to replace the existing roof and the electrical distribution network.

To facilitate the roof refurbishment, a considerable amount of electrical and piped distribution needed to be dismantled, along with ductwork, air handling units, and DX heating/cooling systems. The services had to be drained and secured, and ductwork ends prepared to enable the roof replacement, followed by the reinstatement of the relevant services once the roofing was completed.

Roof-mounted DX equipment was taken down, refurbished as needed, and reinstalled to restore its original performance. New ventilation systems were introduced to support the Learning Hub, where the previous equipment had failed. Additionally, the roof-mounted water storage tanks were replaced. All redundant roof-mounted equipment has been removed.

Within the building, the electrical distribution system was updated, with the main switchgear and distribution boards being replaced, along with new connections, containment, and cables as required. Where circuits had been previously extended, we seized the opportunity to renew and redesign all electrical circuitry to ensure existing systems could be served logically.

In some areas, existing luminaires were replaced with new LED fittings.

The old heating boiler and circulation plant were in poor condition and were replaced, along with pumps and pressurisation equipment, and new interconnecting pipework systems were installed. The new pipework installation was particularly challenging due to the presence of asbestos in the plantroom. The walls had been treated, meaning that no bracketry could be fixed to the walls. A new framework was constructed to support the pipework from the floor to eliminate the requirement for penetrative fixings into walls.

A new heating control system was also implemented, and all systems were rebalanced to restore original performance. Gas mains were renewed, and new flues were installed to comply with current regulations, and modifications were made to the combustion ventilation systems.

The project completion was in winter 2024 / spring 2025.