Solution
The new building features 11 wards, as well as education facilities, social and family visiting areas, and a large sports hall. It also boasts a variety of therapy suites, from sensory and art rooms to animal care courtyards, a music room and a recording studio.
P+HS Architects consulted psychiatrists, nursing teams, occupational therapists and patients at St Andrew’s Healthcare so that they could tailor the design to occupants’ needs.
The architect also worked in partnership with the main contractor Galliford Try, the sub-contractor Taylor Hart, and with British Gypsum, to source the most innovative products available.
The high quality plastering and interior design create an environment that promotes wellbeing and supports recovery. In fact, the plastering on FitzRoy House won Gold in the Finishes and Interiors Sector Contractors Awards 2017.
Taylor Hart assigned more than 80 people to work on the traditional construction project, including 30 plasterers, over a 16-month period. This meant that efficient project coordination was critical to successful delivery.
A two-coat plaster system was chosen for its increased durability, consisting of British Gypsum Thistle HardWall undercoat and a skim finish coat of ThistlePro PureFinish. PureFinish incorporates Activ'Air technology, which absorbs and converts formaldehyde to improve air quality.
More than 40,000m2 of the two-coat plaster was applied to the walls by hand, with plasterers maintaining the correct working temperature despite challenging conditions. A further 12,000m2 of skim finish was applied to the Gypframe metal ceilings to achieve a perfect finish for the paint that followed. Due to the number of building services concealed in walls and ceiling voids, communication between plasterers and mechanical and electrical installers was especially important.
At the window mullion junctions a detailed treatment was designed, incorporating Gypframe GL2 Brackets, an inner layer of plywood, and an outer layer of 15mm Gyproc Duraline for added thermal, fire and acoustic performance. Glasroc F FireCase was also used to fully encase steel beam lining details to provide fire protection.