Balancing the creation of a positive environment for health & wellbeing with the needs of a medium secure mental health unit has been achieved simply yet safely and effectively.
Rowan View, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust’s new £53m secure mental health & learning disability hospital, has been delivered on time despite the two-year building project happening during the pandemic.
A key element of the internal environment- the ventilation- has been provided via Gilberts’ GPP4 perforated face supply, extract and transfer ventilation grilles.
The Home Office-specification air supply and extract grilles ensure the right amount of fresh air, in the right places, for occupant needs throughout the state-of-the-art 123 bed facility in Maghull, near Liverpool, Merseyside.
The enhanced design of Gilberts’ GPP- a 2mm stainless steel fascia perforated with 2mm dia holes at 4mm centres on a triangular pitch- is compulsory where police specifications apply, and is compliant with the requirements of Department of Health Building Note 03-01. The grille’s configuration to accommodate a separate plenum box (standard or fire-rated to BS476 Part 20 1987) optimised use throughout the premises regardless of the building services configuration in each particular zone.
“Rowan View represents a massive change in the delivery of specialist forensic mental healthcare. It has been made ready in time, working safely through the pandemic, to achieve a building that represents a step change in care,” comments Elaine Darbyshire, Executive Director of Estates at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.
Adds Ian Rogers, Sales Director Gilberts Blackpool, “We all know how important ventilation is for good health & wellbeing: it impacts on our performance and moods. In such a sensitive environment, it was critical we achieved the right air flow and air quality. We also needed to be sure the visible elements- the grilles- were fit for purpose bearing in mind the building’s use. GPP4 ticked so many boxes in its flexibility of use- even the capability to be fire rated!”
Rowan View is the latest hospital environment ventilated by Gilberts, following on from the new, world-class Christie Theatres in Manchester.
GPP4 is part of Gilberts’ Series GP range of security grilles, which in turn forms part of the company’s extensive natural and mechanical ventilation components which help make it Britain’s leading independent air movement specialist.
Gilberts is fully open for business, and has just commissioned new, state-of-the-art CNC production machinery, and expanded various production facilities to further enhance its customer offering in quality, value and service.