Scottish Water
Gowans Terrace
The Client
Scottish Water provides drinking water to approximately 2.46 million households and 150,000 business customers in Scotland. Every day it supplies 1.34 billion litres of drinking water and takes away 847 million litres of wastewater to be treated before returning it to the environment.
Gowans Terrace in the Muirton area of Perth forms Scottish Waters regional offices, and the local water treatment works. Bordered by Perth Grammar School and a mix of local authority and new build housing estates, it’s at the heart of the community. Scottish Water works with local schools and projects to educate on the environment and helping to save water.
The Project
Starfish Construction has built a commendable reputation as a main contractor across multiple Scottish Water projects, including water and waste treatment works and office facilities. This project’s original scope of works included installing a new curtain walling system to the building’s main entrance and removing the existing stone cladding panels, which were a risk because sections were coming loose. Additionally, it required replacing 350 m2 of the flat roof above the offices.
Our technical survey highlighted structural issues with the brickwork, which needed further investigation. A structural engineer appointed by Starfish Construction attended the site and diagnosed the cause of the brickwork movement. We provided Scottish Water with a practical solution, which they approved as part of the project.
- Remove stone cladding panels and install new composite metal cladding panels
- Remove existing curtain walling system to the entrance and installed new system
- Upgraded the flat roof above the office area with a single-ply PVC membrane and insulation to bring the roof up to required U-value compliance
- All systems installed come with a 20-year guarantee on materials and works
- Works carried out while building still in operation with no disruptions
- Project carried out during COVID-19 due to the critical nature of works
£296,990
Value
20 Weeks
Duration
January 2021
Completed
Challenges and Solutions
Our onsite Health & Safety team ensured the site was COVID-19 safe throughout, with all of our staff following government regulations and our stringent guidelines. We installed our recommended architectural composite metal cladding in place of the failed stone cladding.
Our replacement of the 350 m2 of the flat roof above the offices, which needed upgrading, with a new single-ply PVC membrane brought the roof up to the required U-value specifications. Internal finishes required to the curtain wall system meant we needed to construct an elaborate scaffolding system internally. This system allowed us to carry out these works whilst ensuring the building’s users could work safely at all times and minimise downtime.
Outcome
With the successful upgrade of the curtain wall cladding panels and the new PVC membrane roof, the building is now more energy-efficient. There has been a reduction in the building’s heating and cooling costs, especially in the main entrance area and offices.
The overall meterage of works entailed:
- Curtain Walling – 70 m2
- Cladding – 203 m2
- Flat Roofing – 35 0m2
- Permanent Roof Edge Protection System – 175 LM
Due to these works’ multi-trade aspect, we were comfortable with Starfish Construction being the contractor to deliver this project. Their team’s overall control and management of H&S and how they delivered the scope of works continues to tick the boxes for Scottish Water.
Project Manager Scottish Water
