DANETRE DOES A WELSH SLATE DOUBLE
3 October 2023
Welsh Slate’s reroof of community hospital wins an award shortlisting and apprentice approval.
The reroof of a community hospital with Welsh Slate not only won the specialist contractor a place in the finals of a national award scheme but also enabled its apprentice roofers to get up close and personal with a Grade II listed project.
Danetre Community Hospital in Daventry, Northamptonshire, was reroofed with Welsh Slate’s 500mm x 300mm Penrhyn Heather Blue roof slates by M&J Group Construction & Roofing who won a shortlisting in the “Best use of slate for a commercial project” category of the 2022 Pitched Roofing Awards.
CEO Jack Henrickson said: “Whilst the skill sets and experience required for these works were more akin for our most experienced heritage roofers, the M&J Group pitched roofing training manager did take the opportunity to use this project as part of our CITB approved ATO* modules. This allowed some of the trainees to gain experience by seeing first-hand a live Grade II Listed Building project of this nature.”
The two-storey, brick-faced hospital was opened in 2006 and offers community beds, therapy services and mental health services alongside a wide variety of surgical disciplines.
The Welsh roof slates replaced slates which contained asbestos so these had to be removed under controlled conditions, all while the hospital building remained in use. This proved particularly challenging over the nursery area where the children of key workers were being looked after.
Jack said: “The works involved the removal of asbestos-containing slates to a Grade II listed building and following discussion with the local conservation officer it was agreed to install Welsh Penrhyn Slate.
“It was important because of the nature of these works on a Grade II listed building and working alongside the local Conservation officer that we choose our most experienced and skilled heritage roofers to undertake, oversee and manage these works. Whilst the slating, associated detailing to valleys and associated leadworks to abutments were straightforward, the quality of our installation was always going to be under close scrutiny from the local Conservation officer and it had been made clear from the start that all aspects of the slating and leadworks needed to be signed off by the LCO before scaffolding could be struck.
“The client commented on how well the project had been undertaken and managed and this was helped by the project being finished on programme and within the client’s tendered sum.”
He explained that being a Grade II listed building, M&J’s estimating team had engaged with the client’s architect to clarify multiple queries to gain a better understanding of the finishes and details required. As such the tender period was extended to allow these details to be developed and agreed upon.
The design of the large glazed lantern rooflight that now sits within Welsh Slate’s roofing slates took a few months to develop to the satisfaction of the local Conservation officer and was critical to the delivery of the project because of the impact on the area below. A full internal crash deck had to be designed, agreed, erected and dismantled just to replace this element of the reroof.
In addition, as they had to join into parts of the existing building at a number of valley intersections, they again had to agree approval with the client and Conservation Officer.
He concluded: “The principal designer set out in the pre-construction Health and Safety plan that the building was to remain in use throughout the works due to the prevailing conditions in UK Hospitals. This therefore required careful planning and extremely close liaison on a daily basis for where we required the below area to remain unoccupied. This proved challenging but was managed by having an open an honest appraisal of the challenges being faced by both parties.”