Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service (WFRS) has commissioned the refurbishment of their existing building in the centre of Leamington Spa. This building has been open for more than 50 years and functions as their regional headquarters, as well as being one of three fire stations that protect the county.
Morgan Sindall has been appointed to carry out these works, projected to amount to £2.8 million of refurbishments and improvements, by Warwickshire County Council (WCC), through the East Midlands Property Alliance framework.
CGJ were approached by Morgan Sindall in the summer of 2016 to undertake a detailed survey of the existing building, including a visual check of the condition and capacity of the existing M&E services for future extension, including plant, panels, boards and equipment, plus load testing of the existing electricity supplies, and the preparation of calculations to prove the capability of the existing gas and water supplies to accommodate the proposed refurbishment works.
This would assist Pick Everard of Leicester with the preparation of the design scheme for the enabling works and refurbishment. Pick Everard will be overseeing the architectural element of the project, as well as being the M&E consultant.
CGJ spent several days on site, making notes and taking photographs to prepare a 68 page report, describing the condition of the existing systems, with calculations and photographic schedules of key items of plant and systems. The report also included drawings indicating plant locations, routes of key services through the building, and suggestions for maintenance and improvements to the existing systems.
Following the report, CGJ were tasked with providing the design and installation of M&E services to the Enabling stage of the project. These works involved the conversion of the existing (redundant) oil tank room below ground into a workshop area, and the conversion of an existing garage to a gym area, allowing the existing gym to be relocated, which then enabled the gym area to be converted into a kitchen / diner for the new Day Crew Plus team, who will work 24-hour shifts, divided into 12 active duty and 12 hours on stand-by, staying at the fire station during this time. The renovations and changes will make the living facilities more family-friendly and provide firefighters with a comfortable environment for extended stays at the station.
The new seven-day crew will work a more standard 12-hour pattern, returning home at the end of the shift, and have been allotted a separate annexe, complete with its own front door, to allow visitors to access the building without walking through the main station.
The enabling works will be complete in December 2016, with the remaining refurbishment expected to be completed by summer 2017.
