MORGAN Sindall Construction has completed its first project on the University of Glasgow’s capital projects framework, which involved the complete refurbishment of Maclay Residences.
The work involved the refurbishment of two accommodation blocks, which offers accommodation to post-grad students.
Block 15 comprised 40 rooms with toilet and shower pods and eight communal kitchens and seating areas, while Block 14 has 18 rooms with toilet and shower pods, six communal kitchens and seating areas.
Morgan Sindall stripped out all rooms within the blocks, with all the flooring and lighting fixtures also removed, while sanitary ware was removed from the toilet pods.
The two blocks now have new kitchens and carpets, vinyl flooring and electrics while each bedroom has been completely redecorated. All 58 toilet pods now have new wet wall installed and all sanitary ware re-instated.
Morgan Sindall Construction worked alongside an AECOM led design team and furniture supplier Alpha Scotland on the project. The contractor said work was achieved in a tight timeframe, having started on 28th June and completed on 31st August with a sequence of room handovers from the 16th August to allow the university’s furniture contractor to install in time for students to move in immediately prior to term beginning.
In order to minimise the replaced furniture and fittings going to landfill, Morgan Sindall Construction revealed how it developed a ‘comprehensive’ circular economy strategy featuring:
- Loose furnishings – including over 100 bar stools and seats from the communal areas – were donated to Kinross Wooden Products, which designs sustainable working environments from surplus or certified sustainable materials.
- Carpet tiles were donated to Spruce Carpets, a non-profit organisation that seeks to reduce the amount of flooring waste going to landfill and increase the amount of reused carpet and vinyl flooring in Scotland. 1,000 carpet tiles were saved from landfill, with Morgan Sindall Construction receiving a landfill diversion certificate as a result.
- 58 mattresses were collected by King Size Recycling. They were deconstructed into individual components before being provided to other industries to put these materials through their manufacturing processes and procedures to be reused.
- 14 microwaves were donated to the Marie Trust, which supports the needs of people across Glasgow that are affected by homelessness, poverty, and social exclusion.
Stephen Doran, senior site manager at Morgan Sindall Construction, said, “This was a very satisfying job for our team to complete. We were under significant time pressure to ensure the work was finished and the halls were ready to welcome back students to a new, improved Maclay Residences at the start of term.
“I’m proud to say that this is something we were able to achieve. However, the most pleasing aspect of this project for me is that we were able to support brilliant organisations across Scotland that are doing so much to promote a circular economy across the country. It’s inevitable that a project like this would produce a lot of waste, but through working with these brilliant organisations we were able to ensure our excess outputs were minimised, and furnishings, fixtures and materials could either be recycled or used to support vulnerable groups across Glasgow and the central belt.”
Dominic Duffy, head of programme management office – estates directorate, University of Glasgow, added, “This was Morgan Sindall Construction’s first project under our Construction Framework with the University of Glasgow. The team worked exceptionally well with the design team at AECOM and Alpha in delivering the project on time and on budget under the restricted delivery window of the student summer break. As well as demonstrating excellent teamwork across the design team, Morgan Sindall Construction engaged brilliantly with Accommodation Services and our key stakeholders. The project has been well received by the University and we look forward to the first intake of students arriving to utilise the accommodation.”
