Manchester College of Arts and Technology (MANCAT)
Openshaw Campus, Whitworth Warehouse Buildings

Manchester College of Arts and Technology (MANCAT) provide an extensive selection of over 500 courses from basic skills to higher education, catering for all ages and abilities from 16-year old school leavers to corporate customers.

The modern day college was formed in 1990 through the amalgamation of the Central Manchester College of Technology and Moston College of Further Education. Over the last 14 years the college has continued to expand through both joint ventures and the redevelopment of additional teaching centres.

This constant expansion led to the replication of courses over various sites, so in 2001 the college took the decision to establish two centres of excellence for the popular IT and motor vehicle engineering courses. The centres were to be housed in two unoccupied portal frame warehouses on the Openshaw Campus, giving the architect and services consultants a blank canvas from which to create a model teaching environment.

The initial development of the warehouses including the construction of administrative offices on the front of the buildings and installation of a modern external cladding was completed in 2002. The first phase of the project to construct the teaching space would commence in September 2003 with handover scheduled for June 2004, enabling time for final fit-out of the classrooms and workshops prior to the commencement of the new academic year.

The main IT Facility would include space for classrooms, laboratories, support offices and server rooms, whilst the Motor Vehicle Engineering (MVE) Centre would include space for classrooms, mechanical workshops, bodyshops, spray booths and stores.

T. Jolly Services were responsible for the installation of the LPHW heating, radiant heating, domestic hot and cold water, ventilation, air conditioning and the complete electrical services including lighting, power, data cabling, cctv, security alarm, fire alarm and gas suppression throughout the site.

Many of the services were required to be left exposed. This required careful design co-ordination to achieve the aesthetic appearance desired by the client and architect. Imaginative concepts were essential for each part specified, from the detailing of plant supports to ensuring clean, visual functionality of pipes and trunking.

With space at a premium a mezzanine plant room was constructed above the MVE classrooms and offices to house the main mechanical services plant including Veissmann condensing boilers, Grundfos pumps, Pressmain pressurisation units, Andrews water heaters, Vent-Axia dirty extract fans and 2x No. VES Andover air handling units.

Two further air handling units were located externally in addition to twin Carrier Blue Box chillers located in a dedicated chiller compound, providing chilled water for a selection of Quartz four-pipe fan coil units and Denco vertical air handling units serving the MVE classrooms and large open plan IT suite respectively.

A selection of Hitachi heat-pump split air conditioning systems were located throughout the remaining IT classrooms, server rooms and admin support offices.
Heating for the MVE workshop area was provided by Roberts-Gordon gas-fired radiant heaters in addition to Nordair LPHW vertical door curtains located adjacent to the roller-shutter doors. Heating for the staff room and reception areas was provided by Dunham-Bush chassis type fan convectors having ducted connections to ceiling grilles.

A modular DDC based BMS control system was provided to control the low pressure heating, domestic hot water, ventilation and air conditioning systems serving the building.
The issue of design co-ordination for the exposed services in the IT classrooms was successfully addressed through the construction of a classroom mock-up, providing the client and design team members with a 3D view of the design solutions. This ultimately led to all exposed services being insulated with alu-zinc steel cladding that was specified with a high quality polished mirror finish.

Thanks to the success of phase 1 of the project, T. Jolly Services Ltd. has been awarded the M&E services installation contract for the next phase of the Openshaw campus redevelopment. The new contract, valued at £250,000 will push the total contract value above £1.5 million.

Update 08/11/04 – Further £1.3m Contract Award

T. Jolly (Services) Ltd. has been awarded a further contract with MANCAT for the M&E services installation on Phase 1 of a new redevelopment project in North Manchester. This will see the conversion of the old Harpurhey swimming baths on Rochdale Road into state of the art teaching and leisure facilities. T. Jolly’s contract, valued at £1.3 Million pounds, will include the installation of the LPHW heating, domestic hot and cold water, ventilation, air conditioning and the complete electrical services including lighting, power, data cabling, cctv, security alarm, fire alarm and gas suppression throughout the site.

The building services include low energy sustainable elements such as a solar thermal system for hot water generation, rainwater recycling and photovoltaic cells on the walls and roof of the Resource Block. The project must achieve an excellent rating under the Breeam environmental assessment method.

For further information on this case study or to enquire about M&E services installations, please contact: joe-turner@tjolly.co.uk

Client:
Manchester College of Arts and Technology

Main Contractor:
Eric Wright Construction Ltd.

Consulting Engineers:
Operon Ltd.

Architect:
Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams Architects & Designers

Mechanical Contractor:
T. Jolly Services Ltd.

M&E sub-contract Value:
£1.35 Million