Ashzip longevity proves critical in new lift (local improvement finance trust) healthcare scheme


The Ashzip standing seam roofing system from Ash & Lacy Building Systems has been selected as the roof of choice for a health care project in which the longevity of the building is a prime focus.

Ash & Lacy supplied 2,000 square metres of Ashzip in 0.9mm aluminium for the Darwen Health Centre, with an ARS finish in Merlin Grey. The colour finish was particularly important to the design team, enabling them to satisfy the requirements of the planning authorities by blending in with the surrounding architecture. The building includes a series of curved roofs, with a tapered curved feature roof in the centre which joins two elements of the building with a curve on the elevational cross section to complement the centre's other more straightforward curved roofs. The curved sheets were produced at Ash & Lacy's West Midlands manufacturing facility in order to overcome site delivery restrictions. The various layers of tapered sheets were then welded on site.

A major shake-up to improve healthcare services in the UK has led to a number of initiatives being rolled out across 60 areas of the country targeting those places where statistics show health to be particularly poor. It is estimated that the National Health Service (NHS) will be investing £195m into these schemes. East Lancashire is one of the first regions to benefit, with significant investment targeted to rejuvenate and re-build dilapidated primary care buildings - one such building is the Darwen Health Centre.

All the initiatives follow the LIFT (Local Improvement Finance Trust) model, involving a joint venture between public and private partnership. Fundamental to LIFT is lifecycle costing and this was at the heart of the choice of building materials with the specification requiring the roof to be maintenance free and have a long lifespan. Range Roofing selected Ashzip as the preferred roofing system, recognising its reputation backed by the highest quality standards.

A spokesperson from Range Roofing says commented "Ash & Lacy worked closely with our design team to carry out the requirements specified by the client and architect [Nightingale Associates]. From initial conception, Ash & Lacy were very proactive, offering a number of design layout proposals, suggesting various materials and providing detailed information on maintenance and durability. These were key aspects of the project criteria and Ash & Lacy demonstrated their ability to perform and meet the requirements."

In East Lancashire, the LIFT scheme consists of three shareholders: a private contractor developer called The Eric Wright Group own 60% of the shares; Partnerships for Health (jointly owned by The Department for Health & Partnerships UK) holds 20%, with the remaining 20% held by PCTs. The PCTs encompass: Blackburn & Darwen; Burnley, Pendle & Rossdale; Hyndburn & Ribble Valley. The Royal Bank of Scotland provided the Eric Wright Group with a capital expenditure of £23.5m and a 90% debt facility to build three primary care centres in Bacup, Darwen and Nelson, on behalf of LIFT. Centres are currently on lease to the PCTs for 25 years, with the option of buying at the end of the agreement.

Chief Executive of East Lancashire LIFT, Steven Hartley commented "The old health centre was grossly over-crowded and so the Darwen Health Centre with its new medical facilities is a much needed improvement, enabling better care for the local community. The overall comments have been highly favourable, with the scheme winning a Local Civic Trust Award."

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