Millbrook Tower stands tall…
Story by
November 10, 2016
Millbrook Tower stands tall thanks to Polypipe Terrain
The Millbrook Tower in Southampton has had a complete drainage solution designed and installed without the temporary re-homing of any residents thanks to Polypipe.
The building previously had a cast iron drainage system that had started to rust and fail, causing leaking in the 144 flats in the development.
Working with Southampton City Council (SCC), Polypipe Terrain designed a new high-density polyethylene system. Terrain FUZE HDPE was installed due to a number of its key benefits over other more traditional materials.
Millbrook Tower stands tall thanks to Polypipe Terrain
Lighter in weight than cast iron, Terrain FUZE HDPE can feature longer pipe runs, so less jointing is required. As the system is jointed using electrofusion welding, where the weld area is as strong as the host material, the system integrity is increased and consequently the risk of leaks in the development is dramatically reduced.
Due to the inherent material characteristics, Terrain FUZE HDPE lends itself to fabrication. Utilising Polypipe’s Terrain Fabrication Service, the system was fabricated to exact specification and delivered to the site, where Southampton’s Direct Labour Organisation were able to complete the installation work across the 144 properties 40% faster than the average for such works. This meant that the residents of Millbrook Tower were able to remain in their properties, a key consideration when designing the drainage stacks of the building.
Jim Simpkins, housing refurbishment project manager for Southampton City Council, said: “Polypipe Terrain provided a single source for all our drainage requirements, helping in the specification, design, manufacture and installation of replacement drainage stacks, ensuring we had expert advice from start to finish. As with all refurbishment work in our residential properties, it is always our intention to do so with as little intrusion as possible. Working with Polypipe Terrain, we were able to deliver live stack replacements across 144 individual properties with minimum disruption to residents.”
