Calderstones
NHS Trust
Maplewood Challenging Behaviour Unit
Architect:
Condy & Lofthouse
M & E: Farley McGrath Consulting Eng.
Contractor: John Turner & Sons
One of a handful of specialist learning Disability Health Service Trusts in the country, Calderstones NHS Trust was established as a trust in 1993. The complex is located a short distance from the village of Whalley, ten miles from Blackburn. Over the years the trust has developed expertise in the care and treatment of people with mild to borderline learning disabilities and mental health needs. The trust recently began investing in a discrete "in-patient" Challenging Behavior service and in the provision of social care for those whom no longer need hospital support. The above called for the demolition and re-provision of ‘Westfield Villas’ comprising a number of older buildings on the site. The new development, renamed ‘Maplewood’ is to be a 20 bed behavioral facility split into 4 separate wings.
The employer’s agent ‘Baker Wilkins Smith’ appointed Atkinson Peck in January 2001 to provide Civil and Structural engineering consultancy services for the project. Other design team members included Condy & Lofthouse Architects and Farley McGrath Consulting Engineers Ltd. The design process in conjunction with a representatives of the trust gave particular consideration to ensuring the finished product was not institutionalized and that all reasonable care was taken to reduce the possibility of ligature points, a requirement which has been predominant throughout the entire contract.
The development is to be single storey, of masonry construction, with a trussed rafter roof. Generally the foundations to the above development are traditional strip footings. Atkinson Peck have been involved with all aspects of the substructure and superstructure design as well as aspects of the external works including surface water and foul water drainage
John Turner & Sons based in Preston were appointed in June 2001 with ourselves being novated to the contractor under a Design & Build Contract. The contract sum is in the order of £1.8 million. Presently works are well progressed on the structural aspect of the development. Works are being phased such that two of the wings will be completed by December 01 with the remaining 2 wings completed early in 2002.
Although the structural aspects of the project have generally been straightforward one area of concern was highlighted when the roof trusses were delivered. Because of the irregular shape of the building and large spans a number of the girder trusses were very large in size and transmitted relatively high point loads to the load-bearing masonry walls. In one instance, where the truss was supported off the end of a masonry wall, the eccentric positioning of the truss made the loading more onerous. As a result it was necessary to enhance the end of the wall with a pier constructed in much stronger engineering brickwork. An idea of the size of the trusses can be ascertained by the photographs to the right.
