Jt Hawkes Lights Up First Phase Of £215m Student Village

Jan. 20, 2011 - PRLog -- Leading Birmingham-based electrical contractor JT Hawkes has brought the spark of success to the first phase of a new £215 million ‘student village’ at Aston University.

The building services provider worked with main contractor Carillion to ensure the safety, security and sustainability of the BREAM-excellent rated 1,300-bed development.

JT Hawkes delivered two 11kv substations, associated switchboards and lighting distribution networks for the two apartment blocks of nine and 18 storeys that have been built on the south side of the university campus.

It also went beyond contract specifications to provide safe and secure lighting and CCTV systems for a new covered 240-space student car park by modelling it on the exemplary standards set by the underground car park for Birmingham's Bull Ring.

Working closely with a liaison officer from West Midlands Police from the early stages of the project, JT Hawkes's successful coverage of all recesses featured in the design has earned the company a nomination for a police Secure by Design award.    

The firm also provided the floodlighting for a new all-weather sports pitch above the car park where a later need for mesh netting of a diameter small enough to prevent the escape of hockey balls meant fitting extra luminaries to each lighting array.

JT Hawkes has also optimised power quality and made possible an estimated 20 per cent power saving each year by fitting voltage optimisers to both substations.

It also fitted a vertical axis wind turbine as a more efficient alternative to horizontal axis turbines for renewable energy generation, the VAWT being able to collect wind from any direction without the need for the turbine blades to rotate in that direction.

David Pennells, Regional Accommodation Manager for Derwent FM, which has been involved with checking installation standards and will provide facilities management services for Aston Student Villages - the charity formed to finance the construction and manage the project for the next 35 years, said: “JT Hawkes was diligent in its work, ensuring that the building was finished on time and to a high standard.”

He added: JT Hawkes is very supportive in the aftercare service, ensuring that any small defects are rectified in a timely manner.”

John Hawkes, Managing Director of JT Hawkes, added: “This project clearly demonstrated our skills and expertise in performing beyond the brief to provide a safe secure and energy efficient environment.”

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