29 Feb Works Progressing at Wigan High-Rise Blocks
Fieldway are making excellent progress at Brook House in Scholes Village, one of seven tower blocks we are in the process of upgrading as part of our contract with Wigan Council.
We are undertaking various fire and electrical safety of these high-rise blocks, working in over 700 flats total.
Through carefully following our RIBA stage 4 design developed with NECO and by working closely with the Wigan Council consultant, Walker Sime, Fieldway are already 95% complete at Brook House after just a few months of work.
From contract start, we set out to finish the installations as quickly as possible, to minimise the disruption to residents who remain in the buildings while we work. We have successfully managed this through our coordination of multiple workstreams at one time, and the assistance of trusted subcontractors.
Our goal was to deliver high quality work and installation, without sacrificing the resident’s comfort, which we have managed to do.
Cold Water System
With the support of Hayman Mechanical Services, we have completely upgraded the cold water system in Brook House – without disrupting the residents access to water in any way during this process. We have improved the speed and pressure from the 5th to 12th floors, and preserved the existing quality from Ground to 4th floor.
The advanced boosting system uses the building’s existing water pumps, with our newly installed piping, to push the water up to the higher floors at a much quicker rate than they originally managed.
Electrical Upgrades
We have also progressed with our fire protection install and electrical upgrades. The installation of Ei3014 Heat alarms in kitchens and Aico Ei3016 Optical Smoke Alarm in living areas has almost reached 100% completion with just 7 flats left out of 103.
The communal areas of the tower block have been installed with lighting upgrades and emergency lighting, for added protection in the event of a fire. The installation is operated through the wireless control system MyMesh, which will monitor the lights for electrical usage and faults. This technologically-advanced system means that the residents are guaranteed 24/7 available lighting, even in emergency situations.
Prioritising Customer Service
Throughout the duration of Fieldway’s presence at Brook House we have established and maintained an excellent customer satisfaction rating, with an average of 9.9 out of 10.
We have allocated a dedicated site manager and resident liaison officer to work on site, ensuring Fieldway is a consistent presence ready to handle any questions or complaints the tenants may have for us.
Community Engagement
Our work for Wigan Council has been more than just fire safety and electrical upgrades – during our time at Scholes Village we have established a meaningful relationship with the locals and the surrounding areas.
We have been working with the Wigan Scouts and at-risk children to paint fences for a therapy garden, and used recycled materials to make hedgehog boxes. This was part of our goal to teach the younger residents to value and take care of their community.
We also worked with Sunshine House Community Hub and The Brick to help veterans in the local area, provide meals and ran clothing collections of coats, hats, gloves and scarves to ward off the winter weather.
With the upgrades at Brook House nearing completion, we are looking forward to our work across the remaining six blocks in Scholes Village, and engaging further with the Wigan community.